IPL 2018: 5 young Indian players who can be future captains

The entire purpose of the Indian Premier League is to identify young talent and present them with an opportunity to revel.

From sharing the dressing room with stalwarts to tackling pressure scenarios, this tournament provides a steep learning curve for young players.

We have also seen franchises invest in young talent this season and then give them a longer rope if they falter along the way.

Here in this slider, we take a look at five such young players who can be captains in the near future as they have given enough account of their pedigree and potential.

#5 Shubman Gill

Another young talent which has the cricketing parleys up and applauding is Shubman Gill, the man of the series in the Under-19 World Cup this year.

He batted at number six or seven for Kolkata Knight Riders, before being bumped up the order at number four against the Chennai Super Kings in a tricky run chase, but ensured his calm 50 got the job done without any jitters.

A special talent with the bat, Gill has already shown an unflappable temperament which is one the key assets for any skipper.

#4 Ishan Kishan

The young wicket-keeper has been doing great for Mumbai Indians this season and if reports from the dressing room are to be believed he is never shy to put forth his own thoughts and theories during team meetings.

Also, Rohit Sharma entrusted the young man with delivering the team talk and this vindicates the theory that he is one of the leaders of the future.

He has already captained the Indian U-19 team back in 2016 ICC World Cup and hence is an exciting option for IPL teams in the future.

#3 Nitish Rana

Another young man who has been mighty impressive in the ongoing season has been Nitish Rana.

Kolkata Knight Riders have invested in young talent this year and they have been rewarded by these youngsters.

Nitish Rana, the young Delhi boy has been batting up the order for KKR and has been in prolific form and has chipped in with handy overs in the middle overs.

He has grown in stature back in Delhi cricket and people look at him as one of the leaders. With much-needed IPL experience under his belt, he can one of the potential IPL captains in the future.

#2 Prithvi Shaw

The captain of the victorious Under-19 team, Prithvi Shaw has already made the world sit up and take notice of this batting prowess over the past 15 months.

After being benched for the initial matches for Delhi Daredevils, he was allowed to open the innings by his team and has not looked back ever since.

With his fearless batting and inhibited approach, Prithvi is surely one of the future leaders in the league.

#1 Rishabh Pant

Perhaps the most exciting young talent in the country, Rishabh Pant has already captained the Delhi Ranji team this season and attracted rave reviews for his tactical play.

He is also one of the most bankable players for Delhi Daredevils this season and can well take this freedom to be the captain of the side in the near future.

As a keeper, he also has the best seat on the ground and can control the flow of the game much like a certain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.