“Our Best Pick”: Noida Kings Anuj Sharma Hails Shubham Gautam Selection For UP T20 Season 4

New Delhi, August 3: Amid the ongoing Delhi Premier League 2026, Anuj Sharma, owner of Noida Kings, has stated that the trade of the pacer Shubham Gautam from UPCA Speed Hunt has been profitable. Sharma has described the pacer as the franchise’s biggest acquisition at the UP T20 League 2026 auction.

The league is set to start on August 14 and will feature 34 matches spread across a time period of nearly a month. Matches will be held across the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cricket Stadium (Ekana) in Lucknow and Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.

Noida Kings had a very strategic and successful auction in the fourth edition. Following the conclusion of the auction, Sharma said, “The auction was very good for us. We achieved nearly 100 percent of the targets we had set. When building a team combination, you try your best to get strong batters, a good wicketkeeper, quality bowlers, and capable all-rounders. Our team is completely built according to our planning, and now it is time for the team to perform.”

Shubham Gautam On The Cards For Noida Kings

One of the major focuses for Noida Kings was securing the services of T20 specialist and a promising young talent in the form of Shubham Gautam. As a result, they pursued Gautam aggressively during the auction. As a result, he turned out to be their costliest pick at ₹21.5 lakh.

“Securing Shubham Gautam, who we scouted from the UPCA Speed Hunt, was undoubtedly our best pick,” Mr. Sharma explained. “We knew lots of people would be targeting him, and we were confident from the beginning about securing him and Shiva Singh. We had saved money for Shiva, expecting to spend around 25 lakhs, but we got him for ₹17.5 lakhs. That gave us the margin to successfully bid for Gautam. Everything was fulfilled properly.”

STATISTICAL HIGHLIGHT: Is Shubham Gautam Really Worth ₹21.5 lakhs?

An emerging pacer from Uttar Pradesh, Shubham Gautam has made a strong impression across domestic and development cricket in the 2025-26 season, claiming 43 wickets in 11 tracked matches at an impressive rate of 3.91 wickets per game. His strong 25-26 performances have proved that he is every penny worth the franchise earlier spent on him during the UP T20 League auction.

Gautam’s standout campaign came in the Gopalgarh Premier League (GPL), where he took 18 wickets in just four matches, averaging 4.50 wickets per game, while helping SAHARA ALIGARH UP reach the tournament final.

He continued his wicket-taking run in the Barabanki Big Bash District T10, collecting 11 wickets in two matches for SHAAN-E-MACHREHTA. His five academy fixtures produced another 14 wickets, including performances during a 200-run victory over Genius Cricket Academy.

The numbers have strengthened Gautam’s reputation as a promising pace prospect. Reportedly capable of reaching 143 km/h, he operates as an opening or first-change fast bowler, with his role focused on breaking partnerships and attacking top-order batters.

His performances at the developmental level have now reportedly earned Shubham Gautam a ₹21.50 lakh contract with the Noida Kings for the UP T20 League

Revamped Noida Kings Squad For Season 4

Besides Shubham Gautam, the newly assembled squad of Noida Kings boasts of a formidable squad with a mix of experienced camapigners and explosive youngsters who will look to outperform themselves.

The retention of star all-rounder Prashant Veer is a massive boost for the franchise. Veer, who recently secured an IPL contract with the Chennai Super Kings, was a destructive force in the previous UP T20 League season, amassing 320 runs at a staggering strike rate of 155.34 and claiming eight wickets at an economy rate under seven.

He is joined by retained left-arm pacer Naman Tiwari, who represented India at the U-19 World Cup and proved lethal in the previous UP T20 League edition, claiming 19 wickets to finish as one of the tournament’s top bowlers.

Adding to the batting firepower is Madhav Kaushik, who joins the Kings via trade. Kaushik brings aggressive top-order stability and has a history of big scores in the competition. The spin department is anchored by auction-buy Shiva Singh, a former U-19 World Cup winner whose slow left-arm orthodox bowling will be crucial on turning tracks.

With a well-rounded squad secured, the Noida Kings are now focused on their training camp as they prepare to compete for the prestigious UP T20 League title.

Noida Kings 2026 Squad

Prashant Veer, Naman Tiwari, Ravi Singh, Aaditya Sharma, Kunal Tyagi, Anivesh Choudhary, Karthik Sidhhu, Madhav Kaushik, Anchit Yadav, Shaurya Singh, Shoaib Siddiqui, Rajat Sanserwal, Shiva Singh, Shubham Gautam, Piyush Singh, Vansh, Deepak Rajput, and Siddharth Choudhary