Left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Atharva Ankolekar edged ahead of young IPL stars Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Ayush Mhatre, besides other promising Mumbai youngsters like Suryansh Shedge and Musheer Khan, to emerge as the highest paid player at the T20 Mumbai League auction at a city hotel on Wednesday.
It was a keen contest between the SoBo Mumbai Falcons, North Mumbai Panthers and Eagle Thane Strikers to get Ankolekar, 24, in their side, and after some intense bidding, the Strikers succeeded in getting the former India U-19 player for Rs 16.25 lakh.

Mhatre, Shedge earn big too

Meanwhile, promising teenaged opener Mhatre, 17, who is showcasing his class for the Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing IPL, was picked up by Triumph Knights Mumbai North East team for Rs 14.75 lakh. The Triumph Knights also picked Shedge, 22, who is playing for Punjab Kings in the IPL, for Rs 13.75 lakh, while Kolkata Knight Riders’s star batter Raghuvanshi went for R14 lakh to Sobo Mumbai Falcons. Young all-rounder Musheer, who is in the Punjab Kings squad, fetched a cool R15 lakh from the ARCS Andheri team.