Published: December 17, 2025 at 4:45 pm
Hyderabad opener Aman Rao Perala’s aggressive approach has paid him rich dividends in the form of a place in the Rajasthan Royals squad for the 2026 IPL. One blistering knock made all the difference for Aman, who smashed India and Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur for 24 runs in an over during their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match.
Being picked up by Royals was a dream come true for the Hyderabad player, who turned out to be the lone player from the HCA to be selected from the IPL mini auction on Tuesday. India players Mohd Siraj and Tilak Varma are the two others from Hyderabad in the IPL.
Even as the dust settles down, the euphoria of being part of the IPL hasn’t died down. “It is a big achievement. I have been dreaming of playing in the IPL from childhood. I have been working hard for six years for this breakthrough. But I was not sure whether any team had interest in me but when I got the news that Rajasthan Royals had picked me, I was very happy,” said the 21-year-old on Wednesday.
Aman agreed that the unbeaten 52 off 29 balls against Mumbai in the Super League could be a big boost in his nascent career. “That knock could be a game-changing one for my career. I was blank. It happened. The ball was in my zone and I could hit them nicely. That knock gave me the feeling that I could get a call from any of the teams.”
It is obvious that Aman’s treatment of Thakur had caught the eyeballs of the talent scouts of various franchises. “It was my day. I was lucky I had Tanmay (Agarwal) bhai as my opening partner. He had that calming influence on me. He is a seasoned campaigner and told me the importance of big knocks on big days. That day I was happy I could hit the ball cleanly,” he stated.
Was he afraid or nervous facing a bowler like Thakur? “I don’t look at the name. I look at the bowler,” he said. Rao hit two sixes and three fours in that over. After the match, in a fine gesture, Thakur came and congratulated Rao. “Shardul bhai came and said it was a nice knock.”
We had a golden chance to qualify for the final: Aman
However, the good news of Aman’s selection came after Hyderabad had flattered to deceive in their final Super League match against Haryana. Having a superior run-rate and topping the table, Hyderabad came a cropper against Haryana to bow out of the tournament. “We had a golden chance to qualify for the final. Somehow, it was not our day. As we were in the dressing room, disappointed that we could not qualify for the final, came the news that I was picked by RR. That somehow gave me some relief.”
Aman got his early training from St John’s Sports Coaching Foundation in Secunderabad. He was spotted by the late Anil Mittal and later on fine-tuned by Appa Rao. “Anil sir spotted me and selected me for the St Andrew’s School team. Appa Rao sir said that I had technique to play as an opener. I was a consistent scorer for my school.”
“I have been working with Sharath Mudiraj for the last few years,” he added.
In fact, as a 10-year-old, he was even selected for the state under-14 team and later on played in the under-16 tournament. He hit 240 against Kerala. He also captained the state under-16 team. “I always liked to play aggressive cricket. My favourite shots are pull and flick. I somehow love Rohit Sharma’s style of batting. I like the way he hits the shots. I see a lot of videos of Rohit. He has that class.”
Aman has to be a little more consistent: Harimohan
P Harimohan, chairman of the senior selection committee, said they were aware of Aman’s talent but added that the player has to be a bit more consistent to go higher up. “He is a good hitter of the ball. He picks the ball early. He has good eye and hand coordination. He is good in his technique, but he has to be a little more consistent. He has to convert those good starts to a big score. This IPL breakthrough would do a world of good for him. He will be a different player after the IPL stint. He has the talent to play all formats of the game,” he said.
Aman is aware that he has to be a little more consistent. “Now that I will be with the RR team, I can learn a lot from watching big players in action. I am also a big fan of Sangakkara. For sure, this opportunity will help me to emerge as a better player,” he said before signing off.
