The Indian Premier League has brought out many gems over the years who have gone on to do great things in the future, be it Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, or Yuzvendra Chahal.
Another young player has emerged from the IPL 2026 auction, who is ready to achieve new heights. Karthik Sharma.
In this article we will know who Karthik Sharma is. The 19-year-old was bought by Chennai Super Kings IPL 2026 auction for Rs 14.20 crore
Who is Karthik Sharma? The 19-year-old was bought by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 14.20 crore in the IPL 2026 auction.
Travel
19-year-old wicketkeeper batsman Karthik Sharma made a name for himself for his power-hitting abilities while playing in the Rajasthan Premier League and soon caught the eye of some IPL franchises.
As has happened with many talented players in the past, he was called for trials by Rajasthan Royals in 2023, right after the Rajasthan Premier League.
The following year, Karthik was approached by two of the hottest IPL teams, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
He continued his good work after impressing everyone in the Rajasthan Premier League and scored a century on his Ranji Trophy debut and followed it up with a half-century on debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Although Karthik missed the last U19 World Cup held in South Africa by a narrow margin, he has continued to score runs in the U19 and U23 circuits and is one of the top three hitters in age-group cricket.
The wicketkeeper batsman has a good record in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy so far with 334 runs in 11 matches in two seasons.
bidding war
Karthik, who was listed as an uncapped wicketkeeper at a base price of Rs 30 lakh, fetched Rs 14.20 crore, the highest amount paid to any player by Chennai Super Kings, surpassing the previous highest bid of Rs 14 crore made for Deepak Chahar.
The bidding was initiated by Mumbai Indians, who naturally withdrew due to insufficient purse and were replaced by KKR, with LSG being the second team.
The bidding war between KKR and LSG took the price to Rs 2.6 crore, with the latter backing out while the former tried its best to acquire him, but was outbid by Chennai Super Kings.
After a tough fight from SRH, CSK finally managed to buy the 19-year-old player for Rs 14.20 crore.
Support
Karthik Sharma joins a team that has a good mix of youth and experience and will be under the most successful IPL captain MS Dhoni, who has mentored many youngsters in the past.
Along with Dhoni, Karthik Sharma will also be joined by Sanju Samson, who was traded by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the auction, and he will aim to make the most of this opportunity by incorporating all the international cricket experience that Dhoni and Sanju have.
