The sting of rejection in the 2025 Indian Premier League auction was a crushing blow for young wicketkeeper-batter Tejasvi Singh Dahiya. His name flashed on the screen twice, but no franchise lifted the paddle. That disappointment, however, set him on a transformative journey to a remote coaching 'gurukul' and, ultimately, to a life-changing Rs 3 crore deal with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2026 auction.
The Heartbreak and the Call to the Forest
"I was shattered from inside," Dahiya confessed in an exclusive interview, recalling the moment he went unsold. The 23-year-old's hopes had risen when his name reappeared in the accelerated round, only to be dashed again. In his moment of dejection, a call came from his coach, Sanjay Bharadwaj – a renowned Dronacharya awardee who has mentored stars like Gautam Gambhir and Amit Mishra.
Bharadwaj's instruction was simple yet demanding: book a train ticket to Bhopal. There, in the middle of a forest, the coach runs a disciplined, gurukul-style academy. The regime was Spartan. "Bharadwaj sir even takes away our phones. There is only one hour of entertainment, during which we get our mobiles to talk to our parents," Dahiya revealed. Embracing this philosophy, he stated, "If you want to achieve something, you have to sacrifice a lot."
A Diamond Unearthed: The Making of a Power-Hitter
Dahiya's potential was never in doubt for his coach. Recalling their first meeting, Bharadwaj said, "Mujhe lag gaya ki ek heera haath aa gaya hai (I realised I had found a diamond)." He recognized not just Dahiya's attacking mindset but also his mature cricketing brain, honed further by his wicketkeeping duties. At just 16, Dahiya was made captain of the LB Shastri Academy team.
His explosive talent became public knowledge in the Delhi Premier League (DPL). Dahiya emerged as the tournament's leading six-hitter, smashing 29 maximums and amassing 339 runs at a staggering strike rate of 190.44. This prowess triggered a fierce bidding war between Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, and eventual buyers Kolkata Knight Riders, who secured him for ten times his base price of Rs 30 lakh.
"What Gauti (Gautam Gambhir) bhai did with KKR, I want to repeat that," an ambitious Dahiya declared, setting his sights high.
From Teachers' Family to IPL Spotlight
The journey to this multi-crore payday is surreal for Dahiya, who hails from a family of educators in Delhi. His father, Ravindra Singh Dahiya, is a mathematics teacher, and his mother, Babita Dahiya, teaches economics in a government school. "Na unko yakeen ho raha hai, na main digest kar pa raha hoon (Neither my parents nor I can believe it)," he shared.
Despite trialling with most IPL teams before the auction, the ghost of the previous year's snub lingered. Growing up, he modelled his game on the attacking flair of Virender Sehwag, the finishing and keeping of MS Dhoni, and the discipline of Virat Kohli. Now, he is eager to imprint his own identity. "Hum toh Delhi se hain aur hum jaan laga ke khelte hain (I am from Delhi, and we play with full intensity)," he asserted.
While excited for his ward, coach Bharadwaj offered a word of caution against reckless bravado. "Kids these days go for a first-ball six — there’s a bravado I don’t like. He needs to make it count," the coach advised, hoping Dahiya's hard-won discipline translates into a successful full season with KKR.
