Who Is Atharva Ankolekar? An IPL Reject Who Got Highest Bid In T20 Mumbai League 2025 Auction – Cricket.com

Left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Atharva Ankolekar emerged as the most expensive buy in the T20 Mumbai League 2025 auction, which was held in Mumbai on May 8 (Wednesday).
The 24-year-old was bought for INR 16.25 lakh by Eagle Thane Strikers, even more than Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 stars Ayush Mhatre (14.75 lakh) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (14.25 lakh).
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SoBo Mumbai Falcons and North Mumbai Panthers were also involved in the bidding but it was eventually Shardul Thakur’s Eagle Thane Strikers who managed to acquire him.
Ankolekar is yet to play in the IPL but has featured in all three formats for Mumbai. He has played two first-class, 15 List A and 15 T20s for Mumbai. 
In those 15 T20s, Ankolekar has taken 10 wickets at an economy of just 5.93. He also had 92 runs at an average of 18.40 and a strike rate of almost 140.
Ankolekar played a big role in the final of the last season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). The left-arm spinner conceded only 19 runs in his four overs and then smashed 16* off 6 deliveries to propel Mumbai to a five-wicket win against Madhya Pradesh. 
Ankolekar was Mumbai’s most economical bowler in the SMAT 2024-25. “I did not expect to get so much attention at the auction given there were other Mumbai players who are doing well in the IPL. I felt I could get around R10 lakh, but certainly not R16.25 lakh,” he told Mid-Day.
“While I’m extremely happy to be the most expensive player at the auction, I also realise that my responsibilities have increased now. I will give my 200 percent in all three departments — bowling, batting and fielding.”
Ankolekar was also part of the T20 Mumbai League 2018 auction, but went unsold. “I remember I was very nervous before that first auction in 2018. 
“I had appeared for the selection trials and fared well. I was also a U-19 player then, so I was expecting to be picked, but somehow no one bid for me and I was extremely disappointed. It hurt because I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t been picked. 
“Somehow, I managed to convince myself that I will get more opportunities in the future and began working even harder on my game. Then, in the second edition of the League I was away preparing to play for India in the U-19 World Cup in South Africa. So, this is my first year in the T20 Mumbai League and I’m very excited about it.”
Ankolekar was also part of India’s 2020 Under-19 World Cup squad, also featuring Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravi Bishnoi, Dhruv Jurel and Tilak Varma. 
Ankolekar is a typical left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder – a defensive bowler who can bat down the order and score some useful runs. 
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