LUCKNOW, Dec. 10 -- Young all-rounder Prashant Veer believes in learning and experimenting and that too with consistency. After making his mark in junior cricket soon after the start of his career and later on with under-23 sides, the 20-year-old has now emerged as one of the brightest prospects in Indian domestic cricket this season and the best one from the lot of 11 cricketers from Uttar Pradesh when 10 franchises of the cash-rich Indian Premier League pick uncapped Indians in this year's auction at Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Son of a Siksha Mitra, Prashant from Amethi is a slow left-arm spinner who is a combination of explosive lower-order hitting with wicket-taking ability, drawing comparisons to Ravindra Jadeja for his versatility. Representing Uttar Pradesh across formats, he has showcased remarkable consistency, juggling Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) duties with the BCCI Under-23 tournament, playing six matches in seven days while shuttling between Mumbai and Kolkata. "I enjoyed shuttling from Mumbai to Kolkata and then back to Mumbai for the U23 and SMAT matches and every time I tried to live up to the expectations," said Prashant, who finished with 112 runs at a strike rate of 169.69 and bagged nine wickets at 6.76 in the ongoing SMAT. This included a standout 3/20 and unbeaten 40. In fact, his T20 stats reflect a strike rate of 135 and four half-centuries in 20 matches, while first-class records show 30 wickets and 780 runs at 45.88 average. In the Under-23 50-over event, he amassed 376 runs at 94 average with a 128.76 strike rate, including 87 off 65 in the final, and snared 18 wickets to earn Player of the Tournament as Uttar Pradesh finished runner-up. Prashant's UP T20 League exploits with Noida Super Kings-320 runs at a blistering strike rate-further highlight his batting prowess. His recent Ranji outings, like 2/1 against Odisha, underline multi-format adaptability. This form has caught IPL scouts' eyes ahead of the December 16 auction, with Chennai Super Kings trialling him as a Jadeja successor post the veteran's Rajasthan Royals move. "So far, I have appeared in the trials for almost all the teams, including CSK, and I am hoping to get a chance to showcase my abilities in the upcoming IPL season," said Prashant, who has now been training at major Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi. In fact, for IPL franchises, Prashant offers value, a lower-middle order finisher who bowls economical spin and fields sharply. Uttar Pradesh's Under-23 coach and former Team India cricketer Gyanendra Pandey praises Prashant's consistency, positioning him as a strategic pick for teams needing Indian all-round depth. "He has been most suited for the white ball cricket and he will be a surprise package for the IPL side if he is picked by any franchise for the upcoming season," said Pandey, adding, "Prashant has the guts to change the complexion of game into positive even in a crisis situation." At 20, Prashant's trajectory mirrors Uttar Pradesh's rich pool of talent, from Rinku Singh to Shivam Mavi, fuelling hopes of an IPL breakthrough. His rise embodies the grit of domestic grind-relentless travel, dual-format demands, and explosive outputs-poised to propel him into IPL spotlights, enriching India's T20 future. "I had an average of 50 plus last season with 10 wickets in Under-23, and the UPT20 League boosted my confidence further as I could do well for my side. In fact, this season, I didn't do anything special and remained calculative both in batting and bowling and it paid me rich dividends," he said. Besides Prashant, 10 other cricketers from Uttar Pradesh, including Team India discard pacer Shivam Mavi, along with Naman Tiwari, Kartik Tyagi, Adarsh Singh, Sunil Kumar, Vishal Nishad, Siddharth Yadav, Aaquib Khan, Akshu Bajwa and Shiva Singh are also in the auction list. In all, 359 cricketers, including 224 uncapped Indians, will go under the hammer on December 16 at Abu Dhabi, but Uttar Pradesh's poor show in SMAT, where they failed to make it to the knockout, will surely hit its cricketers' chances....