It has been a week since the mega auction was held in the UAE for the Indian Premier League 2025 season. In such a situation, Navbharat Times is taking a look at the talents of how the magicians who discover cricket talent go to the far-flung areas of the country and find 'Kohinoor' for the team.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is now one of the top sports leagues in the world and the credit for its success goes to those franchises who constantly keep a close eye on the emerging talent in domestic cricket. Scouts of different IPL teams reach even the far-flung corners of the country to find new players. Now the old method of selection is proving to be stale. A total of 366 Indian cricketers were auctioned in the two-day IPL mega auction held in Jeddah on November 24 and 25, in which there are many examples of bizarre, but extremely successful selection.

Varun Chakravarthy's story is magical

In 2011, Varun Chakravarthy gave up his dream of becoming a fast bowler and left cricket to become an architect. Then suddenly four years later, he joined a net session as a mystery spinner. There, his old friend noticed Varun Chakravarthy, who by then had become an IPL scout. He convinced Chakravarthy to be a part of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). After two seasons, he was bought by Kings XI Punjab (new name Punjab Kings) in the IPL auction for a whopping Rs 8 crore 40 lakh, surprising everyone. In the next three years, Varun was representing India in the T20 World Cup.

Take the case of T Natarajan

Till 2016, he used to play a little cricket in a village named Chinnappampatti in Salem, Tamil Nadu. It was a struggle to earn two meals a day, but based on his TNPL performance, Kings XI Punjab bought him for Rs 3 crore a year later. By January 2021, Natarajan was one of the many heroes of India's historic win over Australia at the Gabba. On November 24, he was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 10.75 crore for the 2025 season.

The journey from Karnal to the Gabba

Going back a little further, Navdeep Saini, a resident of Karnal district of Haryana, came to Delhi's nets session just before the Ranji Trophy in 2013. Former Delhi and Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Sumit Narwal had called him. Saini had not received any formal coaching till then. He did not even have a good shoe to wear while bowling, but his talent impressed India's current coach Gautam Gambhir so much that he took the surprising decision to make Saini debut in the Ranji Trophy a week later. Saini was also a part of that historic Gabba victory. Where Australia lost the fort of Brisbane for the first time.

From amateur cricketer to IPL sensation

How can anyone forget the story of Akash Madhwal, an engineer from Roorkee and an amateur tennis ball cricketer. When Jasprit Bumrah was not playing IPL due to injury in 2022, Akash Madhwal became a sensation for Mumbai Indians. Everyone saw the progress of Akash, who became captain Rohit Sharma's favorite player in the death overs. Now he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1 crore 20 lakh in the IPL mega auction. In domestic cricket, Madhwal started his cricket career playing for the Uttarakhand team.