The IPL player auction turned out to be a memorable one for Kerala cricketers. After Sanju Samson was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 8 crore and Basil Thampi went to Sunrsiers Hyderabad for Rs 95 lakh on the first day of the auction, young pacer K M Asif was picked by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 40 lakh while his teammate M D Nidheesh went to Mumbai Indians for Rs 20 lakh on Sunday. Kerala captain Sachin Baby will don Sunrisers Hyderabad colors this IPL as he was bought for Rs 20 lakh.
Young leggie S Midhun was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for his base price of Rs 20 lakh.
The 24-year-old Asif, hailing from Malappuram, has come through the Kerala U-22 and U-25 teams. His performances earned him a call-up to the Kerala Ranji squad last season, though he has failed to make his first-class debut so far.
Asif made his T20 debut for Kerala in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy South Zone qualifers at Visakhapatnam. The right-arm bowler bagged five wickets from the two matches he played and it could have pursuaded the CKS think tank to bid for him.
Asif has been rated highly by none other that Australian pace legend Jeff Thomson who coached him at the Kerala Cricket Association's Pace Foundation.
The IPL presents a huge opportunity for Asif as he will get a chance to rub shoulders with the likes of M S Dhoni, South African captain Faf du Plessis, South Africa's new pace sensation Lungi Ngidi, Indian stars Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina in addition to all-rounders Dwaye Bravo and Shane Watson.