All-rounder Prashant Veer’s journey to an IPL windfall with Chennai Super Kings

We often associate the word ‘whirlwind’ with a situation or a period of time. The last 30 days in young all-rounder Prashant Veer’s career have lived up to the word in full.

The Uttar Pradesh (UP) cricketer shuttled between Kolkata and Mumbai to participate in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Men’s Under-23 State A Trophy Elite, respectively, squeezing seven matches into eight days. Across the two tournaments, he scored 229 runs and picked up 15 wickets.

Then, on the evening of December 16, he was picked up for a jaw-dropping sum of Rs. 14.2 crore by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) mini auction. Veer’s moment of glory came while the UP players were travelling on the team bus.  “Mazaa aa raha hai bhaiya (I’m having fun, brother),” he was seen remarking with a shy smile in a video shared by S&C trainer Israr Azeem.

A week later, the left-arm spinner made his List A debut for the State in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26, returning figures of three for 47 as the side romped home to an 84-run win. There was also a hint of his batting range, as he nailed a boundary past wide long-on to finish with a four-ball seven.

ALSO READ | Unfamiliar silence greets a familiar Kohli masterclass

The genesis

Veer’s first indulgence in the sport came through tennis ball cricket in Shahjipur, near Amethi. What began amid the cricket ‘ mahaul’ around his house took time to gather steam and evolve into a professional career option.

The youngster’s journey took him from the Ambedkar Stadium in Amethi to the UP government’s cricket hostel in Mainpuri, and then to Rajiv Goyal’s cricket academy in Saharanpur as he chased his dream. After multiple failed trials across the U-12, U-14 and U-16 levels, Veer’s first taste of age-group cricket for the State came only in the U-19s.

“ Log achche milte chale gaye, isliye ye sab ho paya (I met a lot of good people. That’s why all this became possible),” the all-rounder told  Sportstar, crediting coach Goyal and Saharanpur District Cricket Association director Akram Saifi for shaping his journey.

“I am also very blessed that my family never stopped me from anything. ‘ Jo karo mann se karo (Whatever you do, put your heart into it)’ was their advice,” he added.

Under the spotlight’

Veer first grabbed headlines in 2025 while playing for Noida Super Kings in the UPT20 league, scoring 320 runs at a strike rate of 155.34. His slow left-arm spin also fetched him eight wickets. These exploits earned him the league’s Emerging Player award.

He followed it up with a Player of the Tournament performance in the domestic U-23 One-Day competition, as UP marched to the final. The southpaw scored 376 runs in seven innings at an average of 94 and a strike rate of 128.76. Additionally, he finished as the third-highest wicket-taker, with 18 scalps at 18.77.

ALSO READ | Rohit Sharma draws huge crowd in Vijay Hazare Trophy match; fans chant, ‘Gambhir, are you watching?’

With his pedigree as a multi-skilled cricketer growing by the day, Veer was expected to attract a base-price bid at the IPL auction. But destiny had other plans. He now finds himself on the roster of CSK, the five-time IPL champion, as the joint-most expensive uncapped recruit ever.

“It felt great. It was quite unexpected for me. But what is done is done. My focus should be on the game and how to help the team win matches. They have shown trust, and I must live up to it,” Veer said.

At CSK, he will be stepping into the space vacated by franchise legend Ravindra Jadeja, who was traded to Rajasthan Royals ahead of this year’s auction after 13 seasons with the team. Jadeja’s 2354 runs and 152 wickets set a benchmark too steep to chase, and Veer says he will steer clear of such comparisons. “If I think of these things, I feel I might lag. I will give my best,” the all-rounder explained.

A payday of this magnitude could be overwhelming. But the senior members of the UP team, including Rinku Singh and Dhruv Jurel, have put their arms around his young shoulder and advised him to turn a blind eye to the money involved, he says.

Veer remains a work in progress, with clear ability but still adapting to the demands of elite cricket. The influence of CSK’s experienced coaching group, and of M.S. Dhoni in particular, could be decisive in turning that promise into something more substantial.

Published on Dec 25, 2025