He was playing “tennis ball” cricket for money two seasons ago, is yet to compete at the senior level but fetched a price tag of Rs2.4 crore at Indian cricket's most glitzy market — meet K C Cariappa, the protagonist of a remarkable story that this year's IPl players' auction has thrown up.
Cariappa was confident of being picked at the auction but not for the astronomical amount he eventually attracted from Kolkata Knight Riders. While the players were being traded at a plush hotel, Cariappa and his family were glued to the TV in their small rented accommodation in Bagalugunte.
“I don't know what to say. It is really a dream come true. I was confident of being picked for my base price of Rs10 lakh but never thought of the crores,” a soft-spoken Cariappa said. “It is unreal to be honest,” said Cariappa, who will rub shoulders with Gautam Gambhir and his inspiration Sunil Narine. Cariappa's confidence of getting a team stemmed from his stint with KKR during the Champions league T20.
Though Cariappa has player U-19 for Karnataka, he only got attention when he took 11 wickets in the Karnataka Premier T20 league (KPl). How does his future plans change post the auctionIJ “I don't care about the money for now. I hope I get to play for Karnataka soon. My parents have sacrificed a lot for me. With the money I get, I want to buy a house for them,” he said.