Ex-India pacer, who played with KL Rahul; dismissed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli in same match, heartbroken by IPL auction

USA left-arm pacer Saurabh Netravalkar opened up on getting unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Netravalkar was the talk of the town during the 2024 T20 World Cup with his impressive performances against heavyweights like India and Pakistan. In the mega clash against India, Netravalkar stunned the Men in Blue with the big wickets of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. A total of 182 players were sold in the IPL 2025 mega auction.(BCCI)

The left-arm paceman, who represented India in the Under-19 World Cup in the past, entered the mega IPL Auction and set a base price of INR 30 Lakh, but he failed to attract any bid and went unsold.

Netravalkar said that he understood the auction dynamics after getting unsold but admitted he hoped to get picked.

"Firstly, grateful for getting shortlisted in the final auction list. Yes, the child in me had hopes for sure! But, it was a high-quality player pool with so many top players also failing to make the cut, so I completely understand," Netravalkar told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.

The left-arm paceman, who played alongside the likes of KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav in the past, assured that he will continue to work on his skills and come back stronger next year in the auction.

"Really looking forward to watch the season which I’m sure will be filled with the highest quality of cricket, and personally I’ll keep working harder and trying to get better and come back stronger hopefully next year," he added.

'India were a very well-rounded team, they deserved to win T20 World Cup': Netravalkar

The former India Under-19 player, who also turned up for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, migrated to the USA to pursue computer engineering and is currently employed with Oracle.

Netravalkar further talked about India's T20 World Cup triumph, where they managed to edge past South Africa in a thrilling final.

The 33-year-old, who picked two for 18 against India in group stage, said India had a well-rounded team and deserved to lift the trophy.

"I knew that the game is not over till the last ball is bowled and that the team will keep fighting, and that’s what they did. Hats off to everyone, including the support staff! They were a very well-rounded team with players for every situation, and they deserved it," Netravalkar concluded.

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