Priyansh Arya story: Friends doubted he'd fetch more than ₹1 crore at auction; coach once paid ₹45,000 for his club fee

Priyansh Arya is the latest batting sensation to emerge from the Indian Premier League as the T20 tournament keeps delivering on its promise. The 24-year-old Punjab Kings batter started the IPL 2025 campaign with an impressive 47 against Gujarat Titans but hit the top note against Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday with a 39-ball maiden IPL ton as Punjab crushed the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings by 18 runs.

Arya’s match-winning knock included nine maximums and gave a glimpse into his capabilities. But Arya had already exhibited his hard-hitting talent in the Delhi Premier League in August 2024 when he hit six sixes in an over. Along with Ayush Badoni, he forged a stand of 286, the highest partnership for any wicket in T20 cricket and scored a 50-ball 120 in that match.

Just ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, Arya smashed 102 off 43 balls against Uttar Pradesh in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as Punjab Kings spent Rs 3.8 crore on acquiring the young batter.

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Arya’s rise to the IPL, however, hasn’t been easy. It’s a classical story of hard work and the best guidance from a coach.

Priyansh Arya’s coach paid club tournament fee for batter

Struggling through the Delhi age-group circuit, Priyansh Arya’s coach Sanjay Bharadwaj paid Rs 45,000 from his pocket once as an entry fee for a club tournament entry fee to help the batter get a shot at the Delhi U19 trials.

“He was not in the U19 selection process. There was a tournament that a former India player was organising. The U19 selector was Gurusharan Singh. I wanted Priyansh to feature in the tournament as I was confident he would become the Player of the Series. I thought if he ends up performing well, I will request Gurusharan to consider him for a trial,” Bharadwaj told The Hindustan Times.

“By God’s grace, everything happened. Priyansh Arya gave the trial match. We won the tournament. He became the Player of the Series. Ajay Jadeja awarded him a bat.”

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Bharadwaj’s contributions haven’t been limited to paying the club tournament fee. The renowned grassroots coach has helped Arya develop his game and has always been a major source of motivation for the Delhi cricketer.

Friends felt Arya wouldn’t get more than Rs 1 crore bid

Speaking to HT, Bharadwaj revealed how he was sure Priyansh would fetch a huge sum in the IPL auction despite the batter’s friends telling him he wouldn’t.

“He is like my own child. I always believed that Priyansh Arya would fetch good money at the auction. Priyansh told me his friends said he wouldn’t get more than INR 1 crore. But I told his father that Priyansh would at least get INR 2.70 crore,” said Bharadwaj.

“I never make any request for passes. I have not requested even Gautam Gambhir. I don’t need passes. I watch matches on television. In the Delhi Premier League, I told him that until and unless you score 100 runs, I wouldn’t come to watch your match. The very same day, he scored a hundred and smashed six 6s in an over. Then I went to meet him,” he added.

Despite fetching a big sum in the auction, Arya and coach Bharadwaj are not ready to rest on their laurels, After the IPL is over, the training for red-ball will begin.

“Priyansh Arya needs to keep working on his match. After the IPL, we have chalked out a plan on how to go about training. Priyansh will come to Bhopal to fine-tune his skills. We need to figure out how Priyansh goes about his business in red-ball cricket,” Bharadwaj concluded.