IPL Auction 2024: Sameer Rizvi's Rs 8.40 crore windfall brings smile on ailing father's face
Bengaluru, Dec 19: Sameer Rizvi and his uncle Tankeeb Akhtar were choked with emotions as Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals engaged in an intense bidding war for the 20-year-old Uttar Pradesh batter in the IPL auction on Tuesday.
The paddle final settled at a whopping Rs 8.40 crore with Rizvi going to the CSK's Anbu (Love) Den.' For IPL 2024.
The roseate moment came after massive struggles for the Rizvi household as his father Haseen has not been able to work owing to poor health. Now the physically fragile yet proud dad can afford to smile. After all, the son will be able to afford best medical treatment for his father.
"We were expecting Sameer to get picked by some team in the auction. But we never expected for this big money or CSK to bid for him," Akhtar told PTI from Meerut.
"Sameer has a lot of ambitions - buying a good house, proper treatment of his father and a lot of things like that."
"Sameer is quite thrilled that he can finally have a meeting with (MS) Dhoni bhai from close quarters and share space with him," a delighted Akhtar said.
Rizvi too shared his excitement about the chance to play for the Super Kings but admitted that he was nervous when his name came up in the auction.
"I noticed that 4-5 players before me went unsold. I was nervous at that time. But he (Dhoni) has always been my idol. I am very excited, yet nervous about the prospect of meeting him. I have never seen him in front of my eyes," Rizvi told the Jio Cinema.
So, what has prompted the CSK and other teams to go on a bidding war for this Uttar Pradesh lad.
Rizvi caught the eyes of IPL talent scouts for the first time during the UP T20 League while playing for Kanpur Super Stars.
He hammered 455 runs from nine matches including the fastest hundred in the tournament off 47 balls.
Rizvi carried that form into the state Under-23 tournament where he smashed 454 runs from seven matches.
But more than those runs, it was Rizvi's ability to clear the ropes by miles that fascinated the scouts. The young batter smoked 72 sixes across 16 matches in those tournaments.
"It is his natural game. He has been a big-hitter from a young age. He has interacted and played with seasoned players like Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh (in UP T20 League) and they have also told him to play his natural game. It helped him a lot," said Akhtar.
Rizvi was sceptical of getting an IPL contract once he missed trials with a few teams because of his state commitments.
"I told him don't worry and the opportunity will come to you. You keep performing on the field. SG (Sanspareils Greenlands, the cricket gear manufacturer) helped him a lot through sponsorship of equipments."
The uncle doesn't want his nephew to just make waves donning 'Canary Yellow' but realise his ultimate goal of wearing the 'India Blue'.
"Now, we are happy that our efforts have borne fruits, and finally it (IPL contract) has come his way. There are tears in the eyes of everyone at home. Hopefully, he will go and play for India one day," said Akhtar, who is also his childhood coach at the Gandhi Bagh Cricket Academy.
MEERUT ➡️ MADRAS! 🥳
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) December 19, 2023
Welcome home, Sameer! 🦁 pic.twitter.com/kwbPyglLPe
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Noida International Airport appoints Nitu Samra as interim CEO
New Delhi (PTI): Noida International Airport on Friday announced the appointment of its Chief Financial Officer Nitu Samra as the interim Chief Executive Officer after authorities denied permission for foreign national Christoph Schnellmann to be at the helm.
"This change follows directions issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that the Chief Executive Officer of an airport in India is required to be an Indian national," NIA said in a statement.
Samra will replace Schnellmann, a Swiss national who has led Noida International Airport (NIA) as the CEO since August 2020.
The regulatory issue related to the requirement of having an Indian national as CEO has been delaying the start of commercial operations of the airport, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
Schnellmann will join the airport's Board of Directors as Executive Vice Chairman. In this role, he will continue to support the project and its transition to operations, the statement said.
With immediate effect, NIA said Samra has been appointed as the CEO on an interim basis until the Board of Directors can conclude a formal selection process.
Samra has been serving as the CFO since October 2021 and was closely involved in the airport’s development journey, overseeing financial stewardship, governance, and strategic planning during a key phase of the project, the statement added.
NIA will be operated by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, under a public-private partnership.
Originally scheduled to commence passenger services in September 2024, NIA is being developed in four phases, along with a dedicated cargo terminal. It received an aerodrome license from the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in March.
YIAPL Chairman Daniel Bircher said that since the inauguration of the airport by the Prime Minister, the goal was to enable the start of operations as early as possible.
"This management change brings the airport into compliance with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security requirements while maintaining continuity in the airport’s leadership team. The newly structured team will support a smooth transition into operations, guided by clear and transparent governance and a strong corporate culture," he said.
On March 28, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said commercial flight operations from the airport would start in the next 45 to 60 days.
Among the largest greenfield airport projects in the country, NIA will initially have a capacity to handle 12 million passengers per annum.
Once fully developed, the airport will have a total passenger handling capacity of 70 million.
The first phase of NIA has been developed at an investment of around Rs 11,200 crore. 'DXN' is the code for the airport.
The airport features a 3,900-metre runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft, along with modern navigation systems, including Instrument Landing System (ILS) and advanced airfield lighting.
The peak handling capacity in the first phase will be 30 flights per hour.
In the first phase, there will be 28 aircraft stands, and the projected cargo capacity is around 2.5 lakh tonnes.
Terminal 1 of the airport is spread across 1,37,985 square metres with 48 check-in counters. Over 40 acres of land have been earmarked for developing MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facilities at the airport.
