MUMBAI, Dec. 17 -- The mini auction is a big deal for uncapped Indian players and so it proved for some of the Rajasthan players in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Paddles started going up when Kartik Sharma's name was announced, with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) locked in a bidding war with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) till the Rs.13 crore mark when KKR opted out. But Sunrisers Hyderabad jumped into the fray. However, CSK held on to buy the talented keeper-batter for Rs.14.2 crore. At every level the 19-year-old from Rajasthan's Bharatpur district has played, his reputation has preceded him. The money invested by CSK is also based on the reputation Kartik carries as one of the best young stroke players in the country. That's how the Rajasthan team's senior coach Anshu Jain first came to know about Kartik. "Two years ago, when I became the Rajasthan Ranji coach, Kartik was in the U-19 Rajasthan side. The administrators were telling me 'a boy is coming up from U-19 cricket scoring double and triple hundreds in no time, so you can check him for the Ranji side'," recalled Jain, who was in Pune for the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy's final leg. "After that, I took feedback from the players and they said he was an exceptional talent. At that time we were thinking of taking him in the senior one-day side, but the batting order was so strong that there was no place for Kartik. "This year when I became the head coach and watched him in the nets, I was amazed how he picks the ball so early and dispatches it so quickly. It's a rare thing," said Jain. It came as no surprise that CSK went so hard for him. Last season, he had also trained with the Chennai squad. Speaking to the official broadcaster, Kartik said: "I am really excited to play with MS Dhoni. I will get to learn a lot from him. When I got picked, I couldn't stop crying. I have no words to express how I am feeling." Kartik's numbers are impressive. In 12 T20s, he has amassed 334 runs at a strike rate of 164, hitting 28 sixes. He is doing equally well in red-ball cricket. In eight matches, he averages 43.54 (aggregate 479 runs) and has hit three hundreds. While Kartik, who picked up an injury during SMAT, was at home with his family, the Rajasthan team in Pune had plenty to celebrate. Their leg-spinner Rahul Chahar was also bought by CSK for Rs.5.2 crore. Mukul Choudhary, another keeper-batter from Rajasthan, was picked by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs.2.6 crore and their fast bowling sensation, Ashok Sharma, by Gujarat Titans for Rs.90 lakh. "We just finished a tough match against Mumbai. In our team's WhatsApp group jaise hi kisi player par bid ho raha hai toh share ho rahi hai news. The celebrations are on, everybody is very excited. Any player from our team gets a break, everyone is very happy," said the coach. The 21-year-old Choudhary has also been making waves. He smashed a 28-ball 54* against Mumbai on Tuesday, "Even Mukul has the same ability that Kartik has shown. Against Delhi (in SMAT) we needed 25 runs to win in the last over, he scored the runs (hitting a 26-ball 62). "He is a keeper-batter capable of long hits. Even today's match against Mumbai, despite slow bouncers, he hit sixes in front of the wicket. These are rare abilities. I was sure all these players will go for big amounts."...