The circle of life – As an old life withers on one end, a new one springs on the other. It is the law of nature and it holds true in all facets of life. The new replaces the old. Time and again youngsters have filled the shoes left empty by the greats we have witnessed over the centuries. In cricket too we see new talent coming afore just as we see some internationally acclaimed heroes retire.
Speaking of youngsters and new talent, IPL has been a great place where talent has been found in the past and continues to do so. Youngsters bought in auctions by teams are making a mark in this league and have been catching the attention of national team managers. Many of these budding players who have proved their mettle in the IPL seem to have found their spot in the Indian national team. IPL has been a platform for aspiring players whose only dream is to don the prestigious INDIAN BLUE.
We often hear the term “uncapped player” in IPL, a player who has not represented his country at the international level in any format of the game. Teams auction and bid on these uncapped players. The reason being, not all the teams in IPL are equipped with “in-form” superstars. Hence they have to rely on the newbies to fill in, to use their vigour and show their talent – to take the world by surprise.
Here are some fresh faces who are the talk of the town :
Mumbai Indians : Surya Kumar Yadav
“The best of the new lot” read one headline for this young top order batsman. Facing spinners and fast bowlers equally well, he is a game finisher. With a consistent strike rate in the past five years, this talented batsmen is sure to show up.
Sunrisers : Priyam Garg
A middle order fine technique batsman with a good strike rate who is the captain of the Under19 team India. With a base price of 20 lakh, a neck-to-neck bidding resulted in this yet-to-debut youngster being bought by SRH for 1.9 crore!
Chennai Super Kings : Ruturaj Gaikwad
By the looks of it, CSK might finish off in style with it’s current 11, but Gaikwad, a consistent go-getter for his state team, is a man of technique, and would serve as a good replacement as an opener. He has managed to impress us in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Sunrisers : Virat Singh
Clearly a good, aggressive, left handed alternative to Garg. His performance in The Vijay Hazare Trophy and Deodhar Trophy (his 135 runs third wicket partnership) left SRH with no doubts about this lad.
Kolkata Knight Riders : Nitish Rana
Batsman – allrounder, a perfect choice to face the ominous spinners that are going to rule this IPL season, what with his allrounder skills. After a bout of failures, Rana picked up during the 2017 IPL helping MI get a quick headstart. Since then he has improved his strike rate every year, thus instilling our and KKR’s confidence in him.
Kolkata Knight Riders : Varun Chakravarthy
An interesting spinner from South India, he could add value to the bowling pack of the KKR. His fame from the previous years followed him into the bidding rooms of IPL where a vigorous auction ended in him being bought for 8.4 crore by KKR.
Delhi Capitals : Harshal Patel
A bowler-allrounder whom the team is more than tempted to use in some of the matches this season. He spent most of his IPL career with Royal Challengers Banglore.
Kings XI Punjab : Krishnappa Gowtham
A lower-order Batsman – allrounder who has made a name for himself in domestic cricket. In the last two years this lad has shown promise in the IPL as an all rounder by hitting runs and taking wickets resulting in his journey into the KXIP team for 6.2 crore.
Kings XI Punjab : Ravi Bishnoi
Fresh off the shelf, Bishnoi is an extremely valuable “wrist spinner”, keeping in mind the UAE pitches this season of IPL. In the Under-19 World cup, Bishnoi made an impressionable 4-wicket-0-run case in India’s match against Japan.
Rajasthan Royals : Yashasvi Jaiswal
Now a left handed opening batsman, he once sold pani-puris on the streets of Mumbai. “Teenage prodigy”, “Find of 2019” were the tags he has earned for himself! He is the youngest player to score a double century (The Vijay Hazare Trophy) in List-A cricket followed by another century in the Under-19 Challenger Trophy.
Royal Challengers Banglore : Devdutt Padikkal
This fearless opener from Karnataka is a good striker of the ball when allowed to be himself. His consistent performance through the years, right from the Karnataka Premier League, through the Under-19 team India, to the Karnataka Ranjhi Trophy, has won him accolades and the interest of the RCB.
In this bundle of goodies ready to roll out in 2020, Priyam Garg and Yashasvi Jaiswal seem to be the ones we will have to watch out for. Hoping to see them get a chance in the IPL, till then there’s more to come!