Kartik Sharma: I couldn’t stop crying even when bidding ended
Mumbai (PTI): Overwhelmed with emotion, 19-year-old Kartik Sharma was left in tears after five-time champions Chennai Super Kings secured him for a record Rs 14.20 crore at the IPL 2026 mini auction, making him the joint-highest paid uncapped player in the league's history.
Coming into the auction at a base price of Rs 30 lakh, Kartik and Uttar Pradesh’s Prashant Veer set the record when CSK splurged Rs 14.20 crore on each of them, in the auction at Abu Dhabi on Monday.
“When the bidding started, I was scared I might miss out. But as the bid kept going up, I started crying,” Kartik was quoted as saying in a JioHotstar release.
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“Even after it ended, I couldn’t stop. I was overwhelmed with emotion and happiness, I honestly don’t know how to put it into words,” the teenage keeper-batter from Rajasthan added.
The bidding for Kartik was started by Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants before Kolkata Knight Riders joined in.
While MI exited the bidding, KKR and LSG took the price to Rs 2.80 crore before CSK entered the fray.
The bidding price surged to Rs 13.20 crore when KKR left the race and Sunrisers Hyderabad entered, before CSK sealed the deal at Rs 14.20 crore.
Kartik said he was exited to play alongside MS Dhoni but remembered the contributions of his family and friends in his journey.
“A special thank you to all my family members & friends, without their support, I don’t think I would have reached this stage,” he said.
“My entire family is very happy, everyone is celebrating and dancing. I’m extremely excited to play alongside Mahendra Singh Dhoni and learn from him.”
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
