Hyderabad, June 7 (IANS) The inaugural TG20 Player Auction got underway at Princess Convention Centre, Ramoji Film City, with a player pool comprising over 1,300 HCA-registered cricketers, franchises began assembling their squads by securing some of the state’s finest cricketing talent across the Icon, A+ and A categories. 

The auction brought together international stars, accomplished domestic performers and promising district cricketers, reflecting TG20’s vision of creating a world-class platform for Telangana talent.

India batter Tilak Varma emerged as the highest-valued player of the auction, joining Medak Falcons for Rs 33 Lakhs in the Icon Category. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj was picked by Warangal Warriors for Rs 14 Lakhs and CV Milind became the most expensive uncapped player, with Anvita Khammam Aces securing him for Rs 17 Lakhs.

Other notable Icon category signings included Ravi Kiran (Palamuru Strikers), T. Raviteja (Medak Falcons), Tanay Thyagarajan (Pranava Ranga Reddy Risers), Rahul Buddhi (Anurag Nalgonda Knights), Tanmay Agarwal (Karimnagar Diamonds) and Rohit Rayudu (Palamuru Strikers).

In an A+ Category, Aman Rao (Warangal Warriors), Pragnay Reddy (Palamuru Strikers), Ajay Dev Goud (Hyderabad e-Champions), Nitin Sai Yadav, Aaron George and Rakshann Readdi were among the marquee acquisitions as franchises strengthened their core squads.

In an A Category, emerging talents also attracted strong bidding, with Arfaz Ahmed and Abhirath Reddy becoming the joint-highest buys in the category at Rs 11 Lakhs each. Chandan Sahani (Karimnagar Diamonds), Pranav Varma (Hyderabad e-Champions) and Hima Teja (Anvita Khammam Aces) were among the other prominent signings.

The auction proceedings were conducted by renowned sports presenter and auctioneer Charu Sharma, in the presence of franchise owners, team representatives and league officials.

The inaugural edition of TG20 will commence on June 21 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Uppal, featuring 8 franchises competing in 32 matches over 21 action-packed days.

–IANS

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