Who is Mukesh Kumar? - Delhi's 5.5 Crores buy leaves fans surprised

On 23 December 2022, all franchises of the Indian T20 League participated in the mini-auction for the Indian T20 League 2023 in Kochi. Delhi were also looking to add more quality players to their retained players list ahead of the next season. Meanwhile, Mukesh Kumar was one of the top names in the round four.

This bowler has impressed everyone in the domestic season so far with his performance. His base price was INR 20 Lakhs. Several franchises like Delhi, Chennai, and Punjab got involved in the bidding war for the pacer. Finally, Delhi bought him for INR 5.5 Crores for the next season of the tournament. 

“So I hope that some or the other team pick me, and I get an opportunity to play." - Mukesh Kumar

Before the mini-auction, Mukesh Kumar said that he has been hoping for an opportunity to play in this league. He said: “Umeed pe to duniya kaayam hai (Hope is everything). I had been called for trials by a few teams, but at that moment I was in Bangladesh for India A series. It will be a huge thing for me to be selected for an Indian T20 League team because that was the dream of my father. He wanted to see me play in the Indian T20 League. So I hope that some or the other team pick me, and I get an opportunity to play."    

"I had a crucial partnership with Saini bhai down the order against Bangladesh A. I scored 23-24 runs, while Saini bhai got to his half-century. I definitely am working on my batting because I believe if I get to face 10 balls, I need to score at least 15-20 runs. I want to contribute in more than one department, and so I am working hard on my fielding and batting too apart from my bowling," Mukesh Kumar added.

For the recent Test series between India A and Bangladesh A, he picked up nine wickets in two matches. He has also played a great role for Bengal in domestic tournaments.