One of the names on the IPL auction shortlist has a particularly interesting story.
Izaz Sawaria named in IPL auction shortlist
With the auction on December 16, the IPL released the shortlist of 350 players to go under the hammer, on December 9. Most of the focus, naturally, is on the international and India capped players, as well as those that have done well on the domestic circuit. One of the names outside those players is quite interesting though, and is sure to have flown under the radar.
Player No.265, in the final (fourth) set of uncapped spinners is Izaz Sawaria, registered by the Rajasthan Cricket Association. It is a perplexing inclusion at first, since he has no professional matches under his belt and has not represented India or even Rajasthan at any age level.
What he does have, though, is a growing social media presence.
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Who is Izaz Sawaria?
The 20-year-old Sawaria has been posting Instagram reels and YouTube Shorts of his net sessions for close to a year now. Often filmed with a stationary camera behind the stumps, they provide a front-on view of his leg spin bowling.
Sawaria has steadily grown his presence on Instagram with several of his videos going viral. He has amassed nearly 20,000 followers at the time of writing. His most popular reel on the platform has been viewed over 50 million times, with two others garnering in excess of 25 million views.
Multiple professional cricketers have also commented on his posts, often encouraging and praising his progress; England World Cup winner Adil Rashid is a frequent feature in his comments section, as are Ireland international Simi Singh and Delhi Capitals and Uttar Pradesh leggie Vipraj Nigam.
Sawaria hails from Jaipur, Rajasthan, and trains at the Sanskar Academy in the city. Last month, he attended a session with Red Bull, who also sponsor the Rajasthan Royals' Speedster Talent Hunt program for fast bowlers.
To be included in the auction list with no professional experience is rare, but not unheard of. Such players are usually spotted by IPL scouts outside the system and recommended, so there is a chance Sawaria could land an IPL contract come next Tuesday.
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