Cheteshwar Pujara Reveals Why He Keeps On Putting His Name In IPL Auction

When one talks about T20s, Cheteshwar Pujara is definitely not the first name that pops in the mind. While Pujara is undoubtedly one of the best batsmen in the world at the moment, his expertise has been limited to red-ball cricket so far. That he does not have an IPL deal very much proves his impact in T20s. Pujara is the only frontline Indian batsman without an IPL deal and the reasons are obvious.

The Saurashtra star did get his chances but failed to capitalise on the, His numbers in the IPL are dismal to say the least. He has so far scored only 390 runs in 30 matches at an average of 20.52. His strike rate of 99.74 doesn’t help much either. He last played in the IPL in 2014 when he donned the Kings XI Punjab jersey. He played for Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore too but could not quite managed to seal his spot in the teams.

Since 2014, Pujara has not been picked up by any team in the IPL.

However, the perception of Pujara as a T20 might change now after his performance on Thursday. The right-handed batsman become the first Saurashtra batsman to score a T20 ton when he scored a 61-ball century against Railway in Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy.

Speaking after the knock, Pujara revealed why he keeps on putting his name in the auction list despite being left disappointed in recent years.

“I think twice for sure (gone unsold). I put my name because somewhere down the line I am very confident about playing white ball, whether it is ODI or T20. If I am not picked, I am not picked. But with such results and I can carry on like this people will start noticing. Even franchises might take notice. If I am still not picked I will carry on doing things I am doing. I don’t want to change anyone’s perceptions,” he told ESPNcricinfo.

Pujara’s knock, however, went in vain as Railway chased down 188 to win the game by five wickets.