Indian Premier League (IPL) uncapped players from Jharkhand may well display their prowess at the cash-rich tournament beginning next year.

Though six players from the state, including M.S. Dhoni, have already been retained by their respective franchises, the likes of Saurabh Tiwary, Virat Singh, Rahul Shukla, Utkarsh Singh, Sushant Mishra, Ajay Sonu and Sumit Kumar will keep their fingers crossed during the IPL auction to be held in Calcutta on Thursday.

Varun Aaron

Barring Jharkhand Ranji skipper Tiwary and medium-pacer Shukla, the rest are so far uncapped in the IPL .

Chances of both Jamshedpur southpaws Tiwary and Virat look good as both have shown form with the willow. Tiwary scored a memorable century which helped Jharkhand win the last Ranji match against Tripura in Agartala recently, while Virat was in fine form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Tiwary, who has played for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore, will be looking to make a comeback in the slam-bang version of the game by getting sold in the auction.

Apart from Dhoni, other Jharkhand cricketers retained by the franchises include spinner Shahbaz Nadeem (Sunrisers Hyderabad), wicket-keeper-batsman Ishan Kishan (Mumbai Indians), pacer Varun Aaron (Rajasthan Royals), medium-pacer Monu Kumar (Chennai Super Kings) and Anukul Roy (Mumbai Indians).

Ishan Kishan

Mahi has played all editions of the IPL and his performance will be key when it comes to his selection in the 2020 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. But the former Team India skipper is at the fag end of his illustrious career and speculation about his retirement has been doing the rounds.

Anukul Roy

The IPL will be held during March or April and May next year across the country.