Arshin Kulkarni

Arshin Kulkarni idolised former South Africa allrounder Jacques Kallis growing up after switching to seam bowling from legspin - with which he had a hat-trick to show - on the advice of his coaches. He was only six years old when his grandmother enrolled him at a cricket academy in Solapur so that he wouldn't be bored after school. His grandmother, an avid cricket buff, supported him fully, including travelling to and from Pune, where he moved to in 2017 to further his cricketing pursuits.

Kulkarni made his mark early for Maharashtra by hitting a triple century in an Under-16 tournament. In 2023, he played a big part in Maharashtra winning the Under-19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy. He scored 60 in the quarter-final on a tough surface and made a century against Mumbai in the final. His stocks only grew when his first knock in the Maharashtra Premier League was a hundred.

Ahead of IPL 2024, Kulkarni was picked by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at his base price of INR 20 lakh, months before he won the Under-19 World Cup for India. LSG were the sole bidders for him at the mega auction before IPL 2025 and brought him onboard at his base price of INR 30 lakh.