IPL 2023 Auction: Who is Vivrant Sharma? Uncapped all-rounder sold to SRH for Rs 2.6 crore

Uncapped Indian cricketer Vivrant Sharma stirred an intense bidding war at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction that took place in Kochi on December 23. As the uncapped all-rounder’s auction list popped up on Friday, the eagerness shown by teams to buy the 23-year-old cricketer certainly left the cricketing world wondering about the player. Sharma was one of the big buys by Sunrisers Hyderabad as he joined the 2016 champions for an amount of INR 2.6 crore.

Who is Vivrant Sharma? Here’s what we know so far

Vivrant Sharma is a 23-year-old all-rounder known for his wrist-spin bowling, alongside his skills with the bat. He hails from Jammu and represents his stateside Jammu and Kashmir at the domestic level. During the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year, Vivrant hit 128 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 145.45, which includes a 46-ball 63 against Karnataka.

Vivrant made his List A debut for Jammu and Kashmir in February 2021 and has scored 519 runs with the best score of 154* runs in 14 games so far. He has also notched up eight wickets in the format. He made his Ranji Trophy debut on December 13 and has now played two red-ball games for his state side.

As reported by ESPN Cricinfo, Sharma was at his team hotel in Ahmedabad after J&K’s loss to Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 when the IPL auction took place. He saw SRH and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) go head to head in a bid to acquire his services, while he was registered at the minimum base price of INR 20 lakh. His value crossed the crore mark within no time and he ended up fetching an INR 2.6 crore bid from SRH when the hammer finally went down.

"It's all because of my brother's sacrifice”

Speaking to PTI after his selection to play in the IPL 2023, Vivrant revealed he didn’t expect anything that happened, as he only wanted to be picked by a side. He credited his mother and elder brother Vikrant for inspiring him to be a cricketer. Growing up in Jammu, Vikrant played cricket at the university level but had to manage the family’s chemical business after their father’s unfortunate demise in 2020.

"It's all because of my brother's sacrifice. I would not have been here otherwise. I was not good at studies, but Vikrant ensured I continued to focus on cricket and kept making progress." the 23-year-old told PTI. Earlier this year, Vivrant got his first taste of IPL when he served as a net bowler for SRH on the recommendation of Abdul Samad. Sharma will now join J&K cricketers Umran Malik and Samad in the SRH setup.