17-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal, a man who once sold Pani puris for a living has become a crorepati as he was sold to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 2.40 crore in the IPL Auction.
Rags to riches
Young Yashasvi had made a headline with some stunning performances in the domestic circuit and there were few franchises that were aiming him in the IPL auction. In initial days. the 17-year-old cricketer had to meet a lot of difficulties progressing towards his purposes.
“Originally I stayed with my uncle at his place and started playing but due to space limitations my uncle arranged my stay at Dairy in South Mumbai near my ground on condition that I had to work for dairy in lieu of my stay there,” Yashasvi said.
Living in a tent and selling Pani puri
His father runs a hardware shop in Bhadohi (Uttar Pradesh), carrying bid reams the young lad came to Mumbai at the age of 11. He played cricket from a young age despite having financial problems that were hindering his carrier. Moreover, Yashasvi uses to live in a tent house nearby to the Muslim United Sports Club ground for 3 years and did unusual jobs like selling Pani puri and fruits at Azad Maidan to support himself.
“Soon, I was evicted from there as I could not work due to my busy practice schedule. Then a coach helped me for a few months by allowing me to stay at his place. But soon there were problems too. I played a good knock in a match for a club which allowed me to stay at their tent in the Azad Maidan ground itself,” Yashasvi said.
The turning point
Yashasvi’s life took a turn when he finally managed to pull out a record 319* runs and registering bowling figures of 13 for 99 in the Giles Shield Cricket Tournament in Mumbai to set a record for the highest score and most wickets in a match in a school-level competition.
He was playing for Mumbai in the domestic game of Vijay Hazare Trophy. He grew as the youngest-ever to score a double hundred in List-A category. He smashed a remarkable 203 off 154 balls with 12 sixes and 17 boundaries for Mumbai, against Kerala.
With a base price of Rs 20 lakh, Jaiswal attracted an initial bid from Mumbai Indians before Kolkata Knight Riders and Royals bid back and forth. Ultimately, the Jaipur-based franchise got the bidding for the young Mumbai cricketer for Rs 2.40 crore.
Speaking about the auction Yashasvi had said, “I am very happy. It’s a great opportunity for me to learn. I want to learn as much as I can during my time with Rajasthan Royals. It is a platform for me to make a name for myself.”
