Had fate played out differently, Priyansh Arya could have opened with Yashasvi Jaiswal at the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, but BCCI rules deemed him ineligible even though he met the age criteria. While Jaiswal became a breakout star with Rajasthan Royals, Arya struggled to navigate Delhi's age-group pathways.
After five years and a strong debut for Delhi's senior team, the 24-year-old Arya, known for hitting big sixes, showcased his power against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Piyush Chawla on the opening day of the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, just before the IPL mega auction.
Arya scored 102 off 43 balls, sparking a bidding war that culminated with Punjab Kings signing him for INR 3.8 crore. A debut in IPL 2025 may be imminent, if head coach Ricky Ponting's words are anything to go by.
"The day I got my Punjab Kings jersey, I had goosebumps," Arya tells ESPNcricinfo. "It was a surreal feeling to wear it. Being part of an IPL team and hearing someone like Ricky sir talk to me is an amazing feeling. Every time he speaks, I'm standing there and looking at him, trying to hang on to every word. It feels amazing."
In August 2024, Arya smashed six sixes in an over in a Delhi Premier League game. He put on 286, the highest stand for any wicket in a T20 match, with Ayush Badoni en route to an unbeaten 50-ball 120. Their team, South Delhi Superstarz, smashed 308.
"The DPL earned me trials with a lot of teams," Arya says. "But it's nowhere near the kind of recognition the auction gave me. Even old acquaintances started calling me. That's when it struck me that I'd done something."
Arya comes from a middle-class family of schoolteachers. At "9 or 10", Arya was enrolled at Sanjay Bhardwaj's academy, where the dream to become a "proper cricketer" grew bigger.
"I'd spent hours watching the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Nitish Rana and Unmukt Chand train," he says. "Sir used to make us observe them from behind the net. For us it was a thrill to watch all of them play from up close."
Arya's early promise helped him break into the Delhi Under-14s team, but his young career hit a rough patch when he was 17, after he first played for India Under-19s.
"When a selector [Amit Bhandari, the former India seamer] asked me if I was in the Under-16s, I told him I wasn't eligible and was vying for Under-19s. I'd scored runs in Under-19 trial games, so I was confident.
"At the time, I wasn't aware of a rule where if you didn't undergo an age test at the Under-16s, then you will only be eligible to play Under-19 for two years. By the time I was 17, I was done playing Under-19s."
That decision ruled Arya out of the Under-19 World Cup. It took him three more years to break into the Delhi senior team, and it wasn't until 2024-25 that his career took off.
Arya was Delhi's highest run-scorer in the SMAT, hitting 325 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 176.63, with the 102 against UP bringing him attention from scouts and coaches prior to the auction.
"I'd stuffed a small pillow in my mouth when my name was called out," Arya says. "I felt a lot of pressure, but when bids started flying, I kept getting calls and messages. My phone hung. After the auction, I used Jonty Sidhu's [Delhi teammate] phone to ring my parents. I had goosebumps."
What does Arya intend to do with his IPL earnings?
"No clue," says Arya, now a BA graduate from Delhi University. "It's for mom and dad. They supported me early on, even when studies weren't my thing. They're really happy I'm playing in the IPL. They didn't know anything about sports, all their friends are teachers too, but they didn't stop me from pursuing my interest. It's all for them."
Over the past few years, Arya has watched the IPL from snooker parlours and in badminton courts with friends. This year, he will have an opportunity to be at the centre of it all - with Kings, hoping to "face Jasprit Bumrah" and "hit sixes against my friend Ayush Badoni."
"Hai kuch baat, aapas mein [there's some banter between us]," he laughs. "When pressure is on both of us, let's see who comes out on top."