Saurabh Netravalkar is a former India U19 player and now represents USA in international cricket.
Saurabh Netravalkar, the USA pacer, who hails from Mumbai, spoke on being going unsold at the recent IPL 2025 mega auction. He also touched on the topic of playing with Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav for Mumbai.
The cricketer-turned-engineer astonished the cricketing world and left fans in awe by successfully defending 18 runs in the Super Over against Pakistan while also claiming Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's prized wickets.
Riding high on his T20 World Cup performance, Netravalkar joined the IPL Auction in the hopes of landing a lucrative contract. Despite enormous hopes, the 33-year-old remained unsold.
When auctioneer Mallika Sagar released Netravalkar's name, no teams expressed interest in the left-arm pacer, leaving him unsigned. Netravalkar acknowledged harboring hopes of a deal.
"Firstly, grateful for getting shortlisted in the final auction list. Yes, the child in me had hopes for sure! But, it was a high-quality player pool with so many top players also failing to make the cut, so I completely understand. Really looking forward to watching the season which I’m sure will be filled with the highest quality of cricket, and personally I’ll keep working harder and trying to get better and come back stronger hopefully next year,” Netravalkar told Times of India in an exclusive interview.
Netravalkar, who was born in Mumbai and represented India's U19 team in the 2010 U-19 Cricket World Cup, then relocated to the United States to further his schooling. He continued to play elite cricket while still pursuing a profession in computer science.
"I know Rohit bhai and Surya since my days in Mumbai, and it was nice to meet up with them. They also appreciated our efforts, and that means a lot as well. Similarly, we exchanged greetings with all other Indian players and support staff, and it was wonderful," Netravalkar said.
Netravalkar dismissed Mohammad Rizwan and the dangerous Iftikhar Ahmed, limiting Pakistan to 159, before successfully defending 18 runs in a nail-biting Super Over to secure a remarkable victory for the United States.
In the match against India, Netravalkar took the wickets of Virat and Rohit, achieving a dream moment.
"Again, very grateful for this entire season of cricket, where we got the opportunity to play against such top-quality teams at the World Cup. It made us believe that we can perform at this level if we give our best. So in that sense, the performances of myself and all my teammates really boost our self-belief in our game," he added.
Netravalkar also spoke about the India v South Africa T20 World Cup 2024 final India won by 7 runs to become two-time champions.
"I knew that the game is not over till the last ball is bowled and that the team will keep fighting, and that’s what they did. Hats off to everyone, including the support staff! They were a very well-rounded team with players for every situation, and they deserved it," Netravalkar concluded.