Sourav Ganguly picks five youngsters from DC, CSK, SRH and GT to make a big name in IPL

Sourav Ganguly has picked five youngsters who he thinks will make a name for themselves in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Delhi Capitals' Director of Cricket named Prithvi DC's Prithvi Shaw, captain Rishabh Pant and Ruturaj Gaikwad of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as his first three choices.

Sharing Ganguly's views on Twitter, Star Sports wrote:

"The countdown to the Indian Premier League is on, and #SouravGanguly has revealed his favourite young guns who will make the #TataIPL bigger and better!"

Here's what the ex-BCCI President said in the segment:

“The best in the business is Suryakumar Yadav. Obviously, you don’t consider him a youngster anymore, but having said that, among the young players, Prithvi Shaw has a lot of talent in the T20 format, and I think Rishabh Pant.”

He continued:

“He is only 23 (25). He has got the world at his feet; Rishabh Pant is the No. 2. I would keep a look at Ruturaj Gaikwad, how he keeps playing. I think these are the three batsmen.”

So far, Shaw has amassed 1588 runs in 63 IPL games, including 12 half-centuries. He registered 283 runs in 10 games last season.

Pant, who will miss the IPL 2023 season due to multiple injuries, scored 340 runs in 14 games in the 2022 season. Overall, the southpaw has scored 2838 runs in 98 matches.

Meanwhile, Gaikwad, who won the Orange Cap in IPL 2021, has scored 1207 runs in 36 games, including one ton and 10 half-centuries.

Ganguly picked Sunrisers Hyderabad speedster Umran Malik as the lone bowler on his list of five players who he thinks will make a splash in the tournament.

“Umran Malik is one who will probably if he stays fit, will continue to keep the fans interested in the game because of his genuine pace."

Malik is known to clock speeds of 150kmph consistently in the IPL.

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“That’s the name which slipped my mind” – Sourav Ganguly on Shubman Gill

Sourav Ganguly finally picked Shubman Gill to round off his set of five players with a bright future in the IPL.

He said:

“Yes exactly, that’s the name which slipped my mind. But I think my fifth player would be Shubman Gill. So, it’s Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Surya probably heads the list, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Umran Malik and Shubman Gill."

For the uninitiated, Gill amassed 483 runs in 16 games during the IPL 2022 campaign, including four half-centuries, as Gujarat Titans lifted their maiden title in their inaugural season.