Exclusive: “Playing IPL was a goal,” MP’s Akshat Raghuwanshi cannot wait to learn from Pant
Following a standout performance in the MPT20 league, where he scored 239 runs in 4 innings with a strike rate of 177.04, he was drafted by Lucknow Super Giants for ₹2.2 crores in the IPL 2026 auction
Last Updated: 02.42 PM, Dec 17, 2025
Since being a part of Madhya Pradesh’s Ranji Trophy-winning 2022 squad, Akshat Raghuwanshi's career has flipped around. After a stunning MPT20 league where he smacked everyone around the park, and his senior state team mate Venkatesh Iyer approved him as one of the greatest 21-year-olds he has seen ever, the young left-hander just fulfilled his dream of being in an IPL team. Akshat rose to fame after scoring a 105 off 45 balls against the Bhopal Leopards.
OTTPlay caught up with the young batter soon after the Lucknow Super Giants snapped him up for a staggering 2.2 crores in the IPL 2026 auction, eager to hear his thoughts in this life-changing moment.
“I was very nervous from the start”
Just like every other 22-year-old cricketer in India, Akshat Raghuwanshi had a dream of playing for an IPL team. Akshat, who had started his career as a nine-year-old when his father took him to a local cricket coaching camp, had always thought of playing in the IPL because it provides a platform to get closer to his billion dreams of representing the country one day.
Akshat, who has been guided by former India player Amay Khurasiya, knew that there was buzz about his name even before the IPL auction started.
After a stunning Madhya Pradesh T20 League, he knew that there would be expectations, and he himself had expectations on himself as well. However, he was aware of the fact that getting an IPL team is very hard.
That is why Akshat was very nervous despite his name being talked about in every mock auction. “To be honest, I was very nervous,” said Akshat when OTTplay contacted him after the auction.
‘I knew that getting into an IPL team is never easy, and anything can happen during the auction. Although I had hope, I was afraid of getting my heart broken as well,” he added.
“The money did not matter - I just wanted to get picked”
The Indian Premier League has changed hundreds of players' lives since the start of the tournament in 2008. Just like Akshat, three other uncapped players became millionaires during the IPL 2026 auction. But for Akshat, it was never about the money. It is all about getting picked in the biggest cricket league in the world.
From a base price of 30 lakhs to getting 2.2 crores, Akshat was overwhelmed to see how franchises fought for him during the auction.
Lucknow Super Giants started the bidding for him, and Sunrisers Hyderabad went all the way up to 2 crores to get him into their team. But eventually, it was Rishabh Paan's Lucknow Super Giants who won the bid to have the services of Akshat Raghuwanshi.
"It was never about the money," said Akshat.
"I just wanted to be picked by an IPL team. Watching LSG and Sunrisers Hyderabad fighting for me was very heartwarming. It gives me confidence that I am worthy of an IPL team. Whenever teams fight for you, it gives you immense pleasure and gratification of all the hard work you have done leading up to the auction,” he expressed.
“Pressure will always be there in cricket”
Every IPL auction makes a few of the Indian uncapped players stars of their locality or state. They get known worldwide in a matter of time. But with that price tag comes expectations, and pressure follows. For Akshat Raghuwanshi, the scene will be the same.
He will be in the headlines in every newspaper in MP, and there will be reporters waiting outside his house at least for the next few days.
Cricket has been very humbling for everyone. If you crumble under pressure, you will never be able to find success, and Akshat knows this very well.
"Yes, there will be pressure. I know that. But there is always pressure whenever you play cricket, be it at club level or even playing in your gulley with your friends. Pressure is something that makes cricket more interesting and competitive. So, as a professional player, I always try to win those pressure situations, and we'll try to do the same in IPL as well,” Akshat told OTTplay.
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“Can’t wait to learn from Pant and everyone”
Getting into an IPL team setup always gives the players an opportunity to learn from international stars, be it Indian or overseas.
Lucknow Super Giants has someone like Rishabh Pant, who himself came up the ranks through domestic cricket and IPL to become an international star.
Not only that, they will have someone like Aiden Makram and other international stars in the squad as well. For Akshat, this will be a lifetime opportunity to learn from them.
“This will be a huge opportunity for me to learn from the likes of Rishabh Pant and others. I am eager to share the dressing room with them and get to know them, and learn every aspect of the game, how they handle pressure, and win bigger situations,” he expressed.
Although Akshat has been an all-rounder at the start of his career and used to bowl off-spin, he is currently focused on his batting and wants to help Lucknow Super Giants win games during the IPL 2026 auction. Akshat scored 239 runs in 4 innings with a strike rate of 177.04 and an average of 59.75.