Amidst all the talks regarding the most expensive players at the IPL 2024 auction, a 21-year-old cricketer from Jharkhand named Robin Minz also added his name to the history books as he became India’s first Tribal cricketer to get picked in the Indian Premier League.
“If nobody picks Robin (in the auction), we will”
Interestingly, MS Dhoni is a huge admirer of the 21-year-old and also told his father who works as a guard at the Ranchi airport, that CSK will look to buy Robin if no other teams in IPL approach him.
Chennai Super Kings were the first team to raise the paddle when Robin’s name came up at the auction. However, it was Gujarat Giants who took him home in the end by paying a hefty sum of INR 3.6 crores.
Robin Minz is an Adivasi cricketer from Shimal Village in Jharkhand’s Gumla district. Without even playing a single game for Jharkhand’s senior team, he has already gained a lot of appreciation from some big names in Indian cricket.
His father is an ex-Army officer. One fine day when he came back to visit home, he saw his son trying to whack pebbles with a cane. Francis Xavier Minz realized his son’s interest and quickly made a bat with a chunk of wood and also bought a ball from the market to start his dream of becoming a cricketer.
Robin has two sisters and despite not having enough money, his parents would do their best to give him the best cricketing facility.
“When we first went to a sports-good store to buy a bat and other gear for Robin, we thought we would get everything for Rs 2000, but the bat alone was Rs 5000. But we managed, we had to borrow some money but we managed.” Elis, mother of Robin told ESPNcricinfo.
Robin has learnt his cricket from Ranchi’s Sonnet Cricket Club. Interestingly, Chanchal Bhattacharya, Dhoni’s one-time coach is also one of Robin’s coaches at the academy. Reportedly, Dhoni visited the club on some occasions and sat down with Robin to discuss the game.
“Chanchal sir came home one day and he told me, ‘Don’t worry about Robin, he will be on TV soon. His mother said.
Robin Minz is yet to play a match for the Jharkhand’s senior team but has made a lot of noise in the under-19 circuit. In the year 2021, he notched three centuries in five matches for the Jharkhand U-19 team. Last year, he made his presence felt at the COL CK Nayudu Trophy, while he was also part of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy squad this season, but missed out due to typhoid.
A hard-hitter of the ball, Robin Minz could be used as a finisher by the franchise in the upcoming edition. With so much talk already about the cricketer, the fans are already excited about the prospect of watching him smash huge sixes in the upcoming IPL season.
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