New Delhi [India], Jan 31: First it was Kamlesh Nagarkoti went to Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 3.2 crore. His new-ball partner at India U-19, Shivam Mavi, followed suit and joined KKR for Rs 3 crore. From April 7 to May 27, the two upcoming fast-bowling sensations would call Eden Gardens their home. No franchise, however, raised the paddle for their fast-bowling comrade-in-arms and Bengal boy, Ishan Porel, when his name came up during the 2018 IPL auction in Bangalore on Sunday.

An inopportune injury in India’s tournament opener sidelined him from India’s group stage matches and, in all probablity, denied him a plum contract. He did come back in the quarterfinal against Bangladesh and bowled a miserly five-over spell for eight runs, but by then, perhaps, it was too late for the auction.

Porel needed a strong performance to return to prominence. And it couldn’t have been better than this – a match-winning show in the semifinal. He ran through the Pakistan top order, returning with 4/17 from six overs. His bowling made India’s victory a cakewalk.

Porel doesn’t have the pace of Nagarkoti or Mavi. He bowls in the mid-80s (miles per hour). But his 6’ 3” frame allows him to extract disconcerting bounce off the deck. At U-19 level, the extra bounce, at times, becomes a little too hard to handle. Today, Pakistan’s Imran Shah and Ali Asif learnt it the hard way.