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The upcoming season of the IPL (Indian Premier League) to be held amidst unprecedented times will present challenges to players and officials in ways more than one.
The fact that the world is still not free from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, playing a professional sport would require optimum fitness levels along with a lot of precautions.
As there has been a lot of talk about how COVID-19 affects people of various age groups differently, it becomes an interesting topic for us to venture into and see how the current IPL squads are placed in terms of the age of their players.
On that note, let us have a look at all the IPL teams in increasing order of mean age of players and the youngest and oldest players in each team.
Youngest and oldest players in each team in IPL 2020:
#1: Rajasthan Royals
At a mean age of 25.68 years, the Jaipur-based IPL franchise have the youngest squad going into IPL 2020. Touted as a format that ought to be dominated by young blood, the Royals tick the box in this regard.
34-year-old Robin Uthappa, who will be seen donning the pink as opposed to the regular purple this season, is the oldest member of the Royals squad. Although, among the eight oldest players among all the eight franchises, he is the youngest.
At the other end of the spectrum lies 18-year-old Yashaswi Jaiswal, the young lad who has already made ripples with his performances at the U-19 World Cup this year.
He is also the youngest player to be participating in the 2020 IPL season. It is quite plausible that the oldest and youngest players in the IPL franchise might open the batting during the upcoming season of the competition.
#2: Sunrisers Hyderabad
With an average age of 26.68 years, Sunrisers Hyderabad have the second youngest squad in IPL 2020.
The oldest member of their squad is India wicket-keeper batsman, Wriddhiman Saha, who is 35 years of age.
18-year-old right-handed batsman Abdul Samad, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, is the youngest player in the Hyderabad-based IPL franchise's squad.
#3: Kings XI Punjab
With an average squad age of 26.76 years, the Kings XI Punjab team are almost at par with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in this category.
The average age of the Punjab-based IPL franchise is somewhat skewed by the presence of their oldest and most explosive player - Chris Gayle - who is now on the wrong side of 40.
Kings XI Punjab's youngest player, Ravi Bishnoi's age is less than half that of the Universe Boss'. The 19-year-old leg-spinner was grabbed for a whopping Rs 2 crore in the 2019 IPL auction after his impressive performances at the 2020 U-19 World Cup.
#4: Mumbai Indians
The most successful IPL team of all time, Mumbai Indians slot in fourth on this list. They have a mean player age of 27.54 years.
Lasith Malinga, at 36, is fittingly their oldest player as he is the one who has stayed with them since the IPL's inception and has helped them achieve glory on more than one occasion.
21-year-old Jharkhand player Anukul Roy is Mumbai Indians' youngest player. For all of you who have no idea about him, the fact that he is nicknamed 'Samastipur's Ravindra Jadeja' can make things somewhat clear.
Given that the Mumbai-based IPL franchise has in the past proven to be a budding ground for nurturing future cricketing talent, one should keep a close eye on this Roy.
#5: Delhi Capitals
Just behind Mumbai Indians, the Delhi Capitals find themselves fifth on this list, with a mean player age of 27.72 years.
Amit Mishra, at 37, is the Delhi-based IPL team's oldest player as he looks forward to another edition of the T-20 competition.
20-year-old Indian prodigy Prithvi Shaw is the youngest player in the Delhi Capitals team. He will be looking to make an impact at the top of the order and strengthen his case for a national callup.
#6: Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore are the sixth of eight teams in IPL 2020 who have an average player age of below 30 years.
At 29.29 years, RCB have the third oldest squad in IPL 2020, with the franchise's oldest player being 37-year-old Dale Steyn. The South African will be looking to open the bowling for RCB and provide the franchise's bowling lineup the firepower it has always missed.
The Bengaluru-based IPL team's youngest players is 20-year-old local boy Devdutt Paddikal. In his debut IPL campaign, he will look to open the batting and cement his place in the famed RCB batting lineup.
#7: Chennai Super Kings
For all of you who thought that CSK, also known as 'Daddy's Army' for the plethora of older players in their squad, have the oldest squad in IPL 2020, this may come as a surprise.
31.41 years is the average age of the current CSK squad, and 13 of the team's 24 members are above the age of 30 years.
The oldest of them all - Imran Tahir - renowned for his triumphant victory laps after taking a wicket, belies the fact that at 41 years of age, he will be the oldest player in IPL 2020.
22-year-old English all-rounder Sam Curran was acquired by CSK in the 2019 auction. He is the youngest player in the squad of the three-time IPL champions. Curran's big-hitting prowess could come in handy for CSK lower down their batting order.
#8: Kolkata Knight Riders
Although only 5 of their 22 squad members are above 30 years of age, KKR are the oldest team entering this year's IPL, with a mean age of 31.61 years.
KKR's oldest player is also the one who will be leading them and keeping wickets as fans will expect the 35-year-old Dinesh Karthik to replicate what Gautam Gambhir did six years back - lift the IPL trophy.
20-year-old pacer Kamlesh Nagarkoti is KKR's youngest player. He will be looking to improve in the company of Pat Cummins who is now the most expensive bowler in the history of the IPL.
