Published: Feb 17, 2015, 05:36 AM (IST)
Edited: Feb 17, 2015, 05:48 AM (IST)
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have won two of the last three Indian Premier League (IPL) and surely are one of the best teams heading to the competition in 2015. KC Cariappa, the 20-year-old leg spinner from Kolkata underwent training with the KKR during the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) 2014 and he did impress the management.
He was rewarded for that and with a whopping Rs 2.4 crore! That’s the price KKR paid for him in the IPL auctions on Monday.
“I am still in a state of shock. When I filled the form for the auctions, never did I realise that I would be a crorepate. I just wanted to be a part of any team,” said Cariappa to ABP News, who also hasn’t come in terms with the fact that he will be sharing the dressing room with the likes of Gautam Gambhir and Jacques Kallis.
The youngster spoke about his humble origin as he got emotional, “I hail from a lower middle-class family, but my parents have never compromised on my cricket coaching. They have supported me a lot. This is their success too… I will give the whole money to them, and I plan to buy a house for my parents with the money.”
Cariappa began playing at the age of four with tennis ball and gradually played with the leather but his life took a turn last year while he played in the Karnataka Premier League. He picked up 11 wickets at an economy rate of six and a bowling average of 12. He impressed KKR’s video analyst Srikanth, who asked him to join a selection camp during the CLT20 in Hyderabad last year. He attended the camp and caught the eye of KKR captain Gambhir but he never in his wildest dreams he imagined that he would be picked up for this price.
The bowler, who hails from Coorg, now wants to make the most of the opportunity. He points out, “Nobody in India knows who Cariappa is, so it’s a challenge for me to prove myself. I have got a big opportunity to play with my heroes and I just can’t let it go.”
Until very recently, he watched some of his heroes on television and now he will be sharing the dressing room with them. The youngster signs off, “I have realised that there’s no substitute of talent. Hard work always pays off.”
