Top 5 contenders for the IPL Young Player of the Season award

As the 8th edition of the Indian Premier League is drawing to a close, we analyse the contenders for the best young player of the season award for this year. As it’s been the case over the years, so many young players have been impressing and making use of the perfect platform that’s been presented to them. The criteria for the award is that the youngster should have been born on or after the 1st of April 1989 and shouldn’t have played more than 5 Tests for his national side. Also he should have played less than 25 IPL matches before the start of the tournament. Here are the 5 players who could potentially win the award this season:

5. Ishwar Pandey

Ishwar managed to keep Irfan Pathan out of the playing XI

With an excellent bowling average of just 20 and an economy of just over 7, Ishwar Pandey has done a great job for the Chennai Super Kings in this year’s IPL. He has kept the experienced senior pro Irfan Pathan out of the line up with his consistent performances.

He has picked up 11 wickets so far in the 10 matches and is definitely in contention for the award in case CSK go all the way this time.

4. Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya has impressed in the latter stages of the tournament

He has been a late bloomer, but he stuck big when it mattered the most! He is a bowling all-rounder, but uses the long handle to great effect. Chepauk has often been described as CSK’s fortress and this season it was no different as teams found it very tough to adapt to the slow conditions.

MI experienced the same fate and were about to lose the game comfortably when this man stepped in and hit some lusty blows out of nowhere to give his side a shocking victory. And then in another must-win game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, his side were struggling at 79 for 4, but he stitched up a partnership with Pollard and managed to outscore him pretty easily ending up with another match-winning effort (60* off 31 balls).

3. Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep continues to impress

The 22-year old Sandeep Sharma has been destined for greater things ever since his superb display down under during the Under-19 World Cup in Australia. He picked loads of wickets last time, and he has impressed one and all this season as well.

He has picked 13 wickets this year despite Kings XI’s shoddy display, and more importantly he ended up with an economy of just 7 which is excellent for a seamer who bowls in the powerplay and again during the death. Since his team couldn’t replicate last year’s success, he may not win the award, but he has done to be amongst the contenders.

2. Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal came so close to winning the orange cap

Can Yuzvendra Chahal be the next big spinner in Indian Cricket? He perhaps might not have done enough in First-class Cricket to don the national jersey, but has shown enough glimpses of what he can offer if given a chance in the future.

He has finished the group stages as the most successful spinner with 19 wickets to his name with an average of less than 20 and if he can guide RCB to their maiden IPL title, he will clearly be the red-hot favourite to be crowned this year’s best young player.

1. Shreyas Iyer

Prime favourite to win the award

Right now without a doubt, Shreyas Iyer is the outright favourite to win the award after his stellar show with the bat in his maiden IPL season. For a youngster who is playing alongside these big names for the first time, and for someone who is not used to opening before, what he achieved with a side that still managed to finish second bottom was just remarkable. The 21-year old had a great domestic season too and with a lot of senior players about to be rested for the Bangladesh one-day series, some people have been calling for this young man’s inclusion in the side already.

He is also one of the highest six hitters in the tournament with 21 sixes as he ended up with 439 runs at an average of 33.76.