Who is Tilak Varma? The electrician's son who was picked by Mumbai in mega auction

Mumbai has scouted many players and made their careers big in the past. Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are the most prominent names. This season too, Mumbai has picked an exciting young prospect. They purchased Tilak Varma of Hyderabad for 1.7 crores on the second day of the ITL mega auction.

Tilak Varma is a player from India's u-19 team from the 2020 World Cup.  Supported by his coach, after he could not get financial aid from his electrician father, Varma has now grabbed the best deal with the five-time champions in Mumbai.

"It's okay not to write about me, but definitely do highlight Salam sir. He bought me the cricketing gears and took care of most of the expenses. So it's all because of him and my family's support I'm here," Varma said after being sold in the ITL mega auction.

Varma's family was hit hard financially because of the lockdowns imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking of the situation, he said, "There was a lot of suffering and we had to cut down our expenses during the pandemic. But my coach ensured that I continued playing cricket. Hopefully, things will turn better now."

Speaking of his purchase by the Mumbai team, he said that he never expected such a huge price tag for him. He said that this will allow him to learn from the big players of the team and that this was a dream moment for him.

"I was confident of playing IPL but never expected to get this price tag. It's a dream come true for me to play with a team I always loved. It will give me a perfect opportunity to learn and hone my skills, playing alongside the greats."

"I can't be happier, it's the result of his patience and perseverance. It's been a long journey of hard work for us. Mumbai is a big franchise and has produced many players like Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and I hope Tilak goes a long way too," Salam said.

Adding to it, he hoped that Tilak gets a few opportunities to play for the team. He has the perfect cricketing shots and also is very patient, Salam said. He prefers batting at number three but is a flexible player, and can also finish games. Tilak also pays attention to his off-spin, added the coach.

Recalling as to what attracted him towards Tilak's game, Salam said that he had attractive cuts and pull shots. He immediately knew Tilak had a good future and then convinced his parents and he invested in the player. Varma made his debut for the Hyderabad Ranji Trophy team three years ago, and has played in the Indian u-19 team, Vijay Hazare Trophy team, and also the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy team as well. He is currently preparing for the Ranji Trophy with the Hyderabad team in Cuttack.