December 19 will be a date to remember for Vidarbha batter Shubham Dubey, who got picked by Rajasthan Royals during the IPL 2024 auctions in Dubai. The uncapped Indian batter was bought at a whopping total of Rs 5.80 crore by the 2008 champions. Starting from a base price of Rs 20 lakh, Shubham made Rajasthan and Delhi Capitals engage in an intense bidding war, before getting sold to the former for a hefty amount. It was a life-changing moment for Shubham as he hails from a very humble background in Nagpur and will now be sharing the stage with the likes of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, and others.
Coming from a lower-middle-class family in Nagpur, Shubham faced numerous obstacles on his way to glory. His father Badriprasad Dubey, who is a pan stall owner, struggled day and night to make ends meet for his family.
The 29-year-old Shubham came into the limelight after his heroics in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), where he played seven matches and scored 222 runs, at a strike rate of 187.28.
Talking about his inclusion in the Rajasthan Royals, Shubham said that it was “unexpected” as he was not expecting such a big amount from any franchise.
“It’s an unreal feeling. I did well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). So, I was hopeful of being picked in the auction. Frankly, though, I was not expecting such a big amount,” said Dubey.
Dubey also revealed that earlier he did not have money to buy a glove but his mentor, late Sudeep Jaiswal, backed and guided him into the Vidarbha team.
“Our financial condition was really bad at that time. Sudip sir helped me a lot. Without his support, I wouldn’t have achieved anything in my life,” said Dubey.
“For me buying even a glove was not possible. He gave me a new bat, and kit. He included me in the playing XI for Under-19, Under-23 and ‘A’ Division teams. Without him, I wouldn’t have made it to the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) team,” he added.
Apart from Dubey, another uncapped India batter Sameer Rizvi also bagged a huge price money of Rs 8.40 crore from Chennai Super Kings during the auction.
Rajasthan Royals Full Squad:Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler*, Shimron Hetmyer*, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira*, Kunal Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult*, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa*, Avesh Khan (from LSG), Rovman Powell*, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler Cadmore, Nandre Burger*, Abid Mushtaq
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