Akshat Raghuwanshi must be on cloud nine after Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) acquired his services for INR 2.2 crore at the IPL 2026 mini-auction at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16. He is a 22-year-old batter from Madhya Pradesh, whose name sparked a bidding war between Sunrisers Hyderabad and LSG.
The Gwalior-born started playing cricket at a young age under the watchful eyes of his father. After doing well in age-group cricket, he impressed cricket enthusiasts during the 2021-22
Ranji Trophy season.
Raghuwanshi didn't take much time to showcase his talent in first-class cricket. He scored a century on debut against Meghalaya and followed it up with a half-century in his second match. The middle-order batter also led Madhya Pradesh's U-19 side in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, underscoring his leadership potential alongside his batting expertise.
Raghuwanshi, who is known for his solid defensive technique, has played 10 first-class games so far, amassing 421 runs at an average of 32.38. In List A cricket, he has aggregated 192 runs in 10 innings at an average of 27.42. He has also played seven T20s, in which he has scored 63 runs at a strike rate of 131.25.
He enhanced his reputation as a power-hitter when he smashed 105 off 45 balls in MP’s local T20 league against the Bhopal Leopards, going on to amass 239 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 177.
Madhya Pradesh cricketer Venkatesh Iyer and esteemed coach Chandrakant Pandit have been vocal about his talent.
Ahead of the IPL mini-auction, Raghuwanshi gave an interview to Revsportz. During the interaction, he said that his sole expectation from the IPL auction is that he gets picked up by some team at least.
Now, the talented youngster will get a chance to rub shoulders with stalwarts like Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, and Rishabh Pant, among others. It is an amazing opportunity for him to hone his skills while playing against the biggest stars in world cricket.
