Story of 'Narine Jalalabadiya', picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction

The IPL Auctions have always sprung a surprise with unknown players being picked by various franchises over the years.

In the IPL 2022 Mega Auction, Ramesh Kumar, also known as Narine Jalalabadiya, was one such player who was bagged by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a base price of Rs 20 lakh.

A tennis-ball cricketer, Ramesh hails from Punjab's Jalalabad town and is known for his power-hitting and bowling skills which resemble West Indian mystery spinner, Sunil Narine.

According to an Indian Express report, the story of Ramesh Kumar goes back to 2021 when he was selected in the Punjab camp for the Mushtaq Ali Trophy after a 10-ball 50 in a tennis-ball tournament. During the camp, he met Gurkeerat Mann who believed in Ramesh's skills and sent his video to KKR coach Abhishek Nayar.

Then, Ramesh was called for a KKR camp in Mumbai and the franchise's talent scout team got impressed with a player who can bowl left-arm spin and hit long sixes.

Also read: IPL 2022 Mega Auction: Kolkata Knight Riders full player list with salary