The pacer has bagged a fifer and a three-wicket haul against Australia Under-19.
The 17-year-old pacer, Deepesh Devendran, has caught plenty of eyeballs for his stunning eight-wicket haul in the recent Youth-Test series opener against Australia U19. Previously, he had also put up a consistent performance in India U19’s tour of England with three scalps in as many Youth ODIs and two wickets in the subsequent red-ball fixture.
Following the heroics of Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, several franchises could be interested in roping in another Under-19 star in their squad, who has already showcased his brilliance with the new ball.
Let’s take a look at three teams that could target the U19 seamer in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction.
After the IPL 2025 debacle, the five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), would be eager to be back to their best. The franchise, which had always preferred experience over young guns, was seen to bring in a change to their strategy midway through the latest season, with the introduction of some of the budding talents, like Mhatre and Shaik Rasheed.
With Devendran being a Tamil Nadu pacer, the CSK management is likely to bid for the 17-year-old in the upcoming player auction. Further, his inclusion would also strengthen the side’s Indian pace attack, consisting of Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube and Mukesh Choudhary.
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) could also want to include the pacer in their squad for the IPL 2026. The franchise had spent a massive INR 11 crore on the young speedster Mayank Yadav after his breakthrough season in the IPL 2024. But unfortunately, the 23-year-old could manage only two appearances for the team due to his persistent injury issues.
On the other hand, two of their reliable seamers, Avesh Khan and Akash Deep Singh, also had an average outing in the previous IPL season. While Avesh snared 13 wickets in as many matches at a high economy of 10.29, Akash Deep managed just three scalps in six fixtures at an expensive rate of 12.05. That being said, LSG might look to release any of these players to bring in the Under-19 star into their squad.
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Another franchise, which might be interested in roping in the youngster, could be the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Alongside CSK, the Men in Pink would also want to bounce back stronger after consecutive botched chases cost their campaign in the IPL 2025.
Before kickstarting the IPL 2026, RR would look to strengthen their player pool in the forthcoming auction. The team has already acquired a few strong overseas bowling options in the form of Jofra Archer, Kwena Maphaka, Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga. But Devendran could be an excellent option to include in their Indian pace squad, alongside the likes of Akash Madhwal and Tushar Deshpande.
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