The Super League phase of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 will commence in Pune on Friday, as eight high-quality teams look to put their best foot forward to enter the final on December 18. The players have motivation to perform optimally, as the Indian Premier League auction is scheduled in Abu Dhabi on December 16.
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Some have already issued notice of their potential; they have two more rounds, on December 12th and 14th, to push their case. Here are some of the players who could become rich and famous overnight.
Kartik Sharma (Rajasthan)
Rajasthan’s Kartik Sharma may not have had as good a time with the bat in the league phase, but the Super League gives him another chance to impress the men who matter, ahead of the auction. The right-hander, whose batting video was recently tweeted by Kevin Pietersen, remains a highly spoken-about young player, and his wicket-keeping could also work in his favour, with teams looking for multi-skill players. A good start to the Super League could boost his chances of getting picked by an IPL team on Tuesday.
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Former India opening batter Aakash Chopra had singled out Sharma for his six-hitting ability and predicted that he could emerge as the most expensive uncapped player at the auction. “There is a boy named Kartik Sharma. He hits a lot of sixes. He is a Rajasthan boy. He might be the highest-paid uncapped player in this auction. He might go to them. There is a strong possibility,” Chopra had said on his YouTube channel earlier this month.
Yashvardhan Dalal (Haryana)
The Haryana batter emerged as the highest run-getter for his side in the league phase, with 319 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 143.04. The right-hander, who made headlines last year when he became the first batter to make a 400+ score in a CK Nayudu match against Mumbai, made four half-centuries and also struck 13 sixes. A good performance in the Super League stage could enhance his chances of finding a buyer at the IPL auction on Tuesday. “One remarkable thing about Yash’s batting is his appetite for big scores and his tendency to play straight. He has all the shots for T20 cricket, but he prefers traditional cricketing shots. He showed his 360-degree game after crossing 200,” Haryana Under-23 coach Jitender Siwach had told The Indian Express last year.
Ashok Sharma (Rajasthan)
The Rajasthan pacer, who was released by his home franchise, Rajasthan Royals, ahead of the auction and has been with the Kolkata Knight Riders without getting a game in either team, had an excellent SMAT league phase, where he emerged as the leading wicket-taker. The right-arm pacer, who can clock close to 140 kph regularly, took 19 wickets in seven matches with two four-wicket hauls. While his economy rate of 8.84 was on the higher side, a similar performance, in terms of wickets, in the early stages of the Super League could acquire him a contract.
CTL Rakshann (Hyderabad)
Hyderabad found themselves in a group with teams like Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, with players like Prithvi Shaw, Rinku Singh, among others, in their ranks. Yet, they made it to the Super League by topping the group, thanks to CTL Rakshann’s exploits with the ball. The right-arm seamer took 12 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 8.53. His best performance came against Uttar Pradesh at Eden Gardens, where his 3/31 helped bowl the opposition out for 127 in 19.2 overs. Similar performances in the lead-up to the auction could propel his chances of finding a buyer in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.