Who is Salil Arora? The youngster creating buzz around internet before IPL 2026

Young wicketkeeper-batter from Punjab, Salil Arora, has been making headlines with his domestic performances. The 23-year-old recently caught eyeballs after his impressive 39-ball century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League stage. With his consistent run-scoring ability, Arora has suddenly become a serious name to watch, especially with franchises looking to strengthen their Indian batting depth for IPL 2026.

Born on November 7, 2002, in Amritsar, Punjab, Arora represented Punjab U-19s and later earned a place in the senior team. Though still new to professional cricket, he has shown his skillset across formats. Arora made headlines earlier with a hundred on his First-Class debut in 2024 against Madhya Pradesh. However, his recent exploits in SMAT 2025, has made him a hit amongst the IPL teams.

Arora’s 39-ball century against Jharkhand at the DY Patil Academy in Pune is regarded as one of Punjab’s finest T20 knocks in recent years. Walking in with his team struggling at 62/3 inside eight overs, the right-handed batter reached his half-century in 23 balls and then took only 16 balls more to complete his hundred.

Arora's ton becomes Punjab’s third-highest SMAT score

His unbeaten 125 off 45 balls featured nine boundaries and eleven sixes. His carnage in the final over on pacer Sushant Mishra, including three sixes and a four, instantly went viral on social media. The innings is now Punjab’s third-highest SMAT score, behind Abhishek Sharma (148) and Shubman Gill (126). It also pushed Punjab to a massive 235/6.

While his T20 hundred grabbed headlines, Arora is not a one-dimensional player. His First-Class numbers will be something the team will be looking at seriously. In nine FC games, he has scored 458 runs at an average of 41.63, including one century and three fifties. In T20s, he has 142 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 165 plus. As a keeper, he has completed 25 catches and five stumpings in FC, and a catch and a stumping in T20s.

Arora is listed in the IPL 2026 auction pool in the wicketkeeper category at a base price of INR 30 lakh. With multiple teams searching for Indian batting depth, especially a wicketkeeper who can play as a finisher or impact substitute. Teams like Kolkata Knight Riders, who are actively looking for an Indian wicketkeeper, are likely to monitor him closely. His strike rate and finishing ability make him a strong mini-auction pick, even though he has only a handful of T20 matches under his belt.