Meet Michael Clarke's protege Sandeep Lamichhane - the first Nepali to be picked by an IPL team

On Sunday, Sandeep Lamichhane made history when he became the first Nepali to be picked for the IPL. He was picked by Delhi Daredevils for Rs 20 lakh on the second day of the auction.

He has come in for high praise from former Australian captain Michael Clarke who believes the 17-year-old leg spinner from Nepal has the potential to make it big.

Clarke had said: “Sandeep has a lot of potential and is extremely passionate about the game.”

When he played for Clarke’s academy in Australia, he had said: “Sandeep is a fantastic young man who enjoys his cricket and is extremely passionate about the game It is a really exciting opportunity to have such a talented Nepalese cricketer travel this distance to come and test his skills and improve his game at my academy.”

He grew up watching Sachin Tendulkar and said he fantasised about bowling like Shane Warne. He told Sportskeeda: “Maybe God gifted that art to me and I worked on it. When I was young, I used to follow Shane Warne (on TV and his videos on a mobile phone) and fantasized about the way he bowls. I used to watch him bowl leg spin and googlies and practice them in the nets. I can bowl googlies very well, front flippers and yeah, the leg spinners. If my teammates want something else from me, I will work on that. So far, I am doing well. I have some good very variations up my sleeve.”

Lamichhane made his name during the 2016 U-19 World Cup when he ended up being the second highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps in six innings.

Now that he has been picked, Lamichhane has the potential not just to change his destiny but also that of Nepali cricket.   

Sandeep Lamichhane is sold to @DelhiDaredevils for INR 20 lacs VIVO #IPLAuction

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) January 28, 2018

Sandeep Lamichhane becomes the first Nepal player to be part of any IPL team@DelhiDaredevils #IPLAuction

— Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang) January 28, 2018

Good on him https://t.co/n4RX1iMoQW

— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) January 28, 2018

Afghan last year. Nepal this year. Truly talent meets opportunity in ipl #iplauction

— Hrishikesh Ramani (@hrishiishere) January 28, 2018

Agree https://t.co/pLNbsChfr7

— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) January 28, 2018

Krunal Pandya became the costliest uncapped buy in IPL history, going for a whopping Rs 8.8 crore to Mumbai Indians as rookie players, both Indian and overseas, turned overnight millionaires in the auction here.

From India's U-19 World Cup stars to domestic and foreign recruits, uncapped players were the sought after lot for the eight teams.

Little-known Jofra Archer from the West Indies attracted a Rs 7.2 crore winning bid from Rajasthan Royals.

The 22-year-old all-rounder has had a decent stint for Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash and plays first-class cricket for Sussex in England.

Krunal going to Mumbai Indians was expected but not the astronomical figure he went for, surpassing Pawan Negi who was bought by Delhi Daredevils for Rs 8.5 crore in the 2016 auction. Krunal's base price was Rs 40 lakh.

Mumbai Indians exercised the Right to Match for Krunal after a bidding war broke out between Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Krunal remaining at Mumbai Indians also means that he and his brother Hardik Pandya will turn out for the same IPL team again.

The third-highest bid was for Jharkhand wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan, who was sold to Mumbai Indians for Rs 6.2 crore, more than 15 times his base price of Rs 40 lakh.

Australian left-hand batsman D'Arcy Short was rewarded for his batting exploits in the Big Bash with a Rs 4.4 crore pay packet from Rajasthan Royals. He is also quite useful as a chinaman.

The other uncapped Indian players who secured hefty deals were Punjab pacer Siddarth Kaul (Rs 3.8 crore to SRH), Delhi pacer Navdeep Saini (Rs 3 crore to RCB), Delhi batsman Nitish Rana (Rs 3.4 crore to KKR), Baroda all-rounder Deepak Hooda (Rs 3.6 crore to SRH via RTM).

Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar (Rs 3.2 crore to DD), Maharashtra batsman Rahul Tripathi (Rs 3.4 crore to RR), Mumbai batsman Surya Kumar Yadav (Rs 3.2 crore to MI), Haryana leg-spinner Rahul Tewatia (Rs 3 crore to DD), Uttar Pradesh pacer Ankit Rajpoot (Rs 3 crore to KXIP) and Rajasthan left- arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed (Rs 3 crore to SRH) were the other rookie Indians to get good deals in the IPL.

The U-19 players who are currently playing the World Cup in New Zealand too were rewarded for their recent performances.

India U-19 captain Prithvi Shaw, who has made hundreds for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy, went to Delhi Daredevils for Rs 1.2 crore while opener Shubman Gill, who has played first- class cricket for Punjab, was lapped up by KKR for Rs 1.8 crore.

Kamlesh Nagarkoti, who has impressed many with his express left-arm pace in New Zealand, too went to KKR for Rs 3.2 crore from a base price of Rs 20 lakh.

There were few others whose life is set to change. Delhi left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya, who was a waiter in Goa not long ago, was picked up by RCB for Rs 85 lakh.

Kerala fast bowler Basil Thampi was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 95 lakh.

Karnataka batsman Mayank Agarwal was richer by Rs 1 crore after winning the bid from Kings XI Punjab.

Punjab opener Manan Vohra, who was in sublime touch in the recently concluded domestic T20 event, got a Rs 1.1 crore deal from Royal Challengers Bangalore.