It’s not for nothing that they call the highly successful Aussie captain Ricky Ponting Punter. Last week at The Indian Express Idea Exchange, the Punjab Kings coach picked a young debutant from his team for special mention. It was to a question about how the idea of an ideal auction pick changed since you last played that Ponting made an emphatic statement about the 24-year-old Priyansh Arya, who Punjab Kings secured for Rs 3.8 crore.
“What I look for is ball-striking talent, like Priyansh Arya. He’s an out-and-out clean ball striker. Technically, he looks a bit unorthodox, but I guarantee he’s going to make a serious mark on this IPL,” he had said. Within days, Priyansh proved that the punt taken by his coach and franchise was on the spot. They had backed the right horse.
On Tuesday, against CSK, Priyansh, showing immaculate ball-striking, took 39 balls to score the fastest IPL century by an uncapped batsman. While Punjab Kings got an attacking opener they had been missing for a while now, Delhi once again proved that it was a city that regularly gave Indian cricket attacking openers. Virendra Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan – add to that list Priyansh.
The soft-spoken son of school teachers, Priyansh wasn’t academically inclined. He lived in Ashok Vihar, an area in
North West Delhi that wasn’t very far from the educational hub where UPSC aspirants stream in from around the country. But the young boy saw his future as a cricketer and IPL as a vehicle to success.
Approaching mid-20s, he knew time was running out. Looking for a big break, Priyansh would go the trails of IPL teams each year but return home dejected.
Last year, Delhi would start their own T20 league and Priyansh got the stage he had been looking for. As the capital’s best hard-hitters swarmed at Kotla, someone had to make a big splash to get noticed. Priyansh did what was sure to get the attention of the entire T20 world. He hit six 6s in an over and everyone was talking about the boy from Ashok Vihar.
He got awards and acclaim and also a message from India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav. ‘Keep believing in yourself… total entertainment.’ – Surya posted. So when the IPL auction happened, as expected there was a scramble for Priyansh but Punjab seemed most convinced about the talent of the young hitter. Though, there were others who saw a star in the opener long back.
Very early in his career, Priyansh was under the wings of the capital’s reputed coach Sanjay Bharadwaj — someone who had mentored internationals like Gautam Gambhir, Amit Mishra and Unmukt Chand. Bharadwaj’s approach to coaching suited the naturally aggressive opener. “I never stopped Priyansh from playing aerial shots, I realised that’s his strength and I gave him complete freedom, and he never looked back,” Bharadwaj said.
When Gambhir would drop by to train with Bharadwaj, Priyansh would get planted just behind the nets. He would soak in everything that he saw, catching every minute detail of the Indian star’s technique. Mishra too would come by regularly. One day the coach asked the youngster to pad up. ““He batted with ease and hit two sixes to Mishra at a young age, it gave him the confidence,” Bharadwaj recalls.
In 2023, Priyansh also had a great Syed Mushtaq Trophy, the domestic T20 tournament. He scored 222 at a strike rate of 166.91. This impressed India offie R Ashwin, who would give a heads-up to the IPL decision-makers before the auction. “My number one player… He played very well with the bat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I am talking about Priyansh Arya. The Delhi opener, a left-handed batsman.”
In a recent podcast, Priyansh had spoken about a conversation he had with a senior that helped him stay in the right mindset while batting. “He told me to keep all my negative friends far away from me. This helps me to stay in a positive frame of mind. I have the videos of all good innings on my phone and whenever I get time, I watch them. This gives me confidence,” he said. That playlist got longer on Monday.
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