IPL 2018: 5 unknown players to watch out for

Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah are just some recent examples of unknown players who were thrown into the spotlight thanks to the IPL. This article looks at five Indian domestic players who not a lot of people know about, but could still perform well in the IPL.

While it would have been nice to write about the Prithvi Shaws and Shubman Gills of Indian cricket, these cricketers have still received a fair amount of media coverage and most cricket followers are familiar with them. Instead, this article looks at players who readers may not have previously even heard of.

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#1 Dhruv Shorey

Dhruv Shorey has been in good form in the domestic circuit

Team: Chennai Super Kings

Role: Right-hand middle-order batsman

Recent Form: Dhruv Shorey has been in red-hot form in domestic cricket, particular in the limited overs tournaments. He scored 303 runs at an average of 60.60 and a strike rate of 141.58 in the recently concluded domestic T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy while playing for Delhi.

In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he has already scored a century and a crucial 71, both fantastic innings. He also got a hundred in the final of the Ranji Trophy against Vidarbha.

Additional Comments: In a Chennai team which has Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, and Ambati Rayudu as Indian middle order batsmen and a lot of overseas batsmen as well, competition for places will be stiff. It would be interesting to see how Chennai use Shorey and if they do, how he translates his domestic form into making a name for himself on the world stage.

#2 Akshdeep Nath

Akshdeep Nath has previously played for the Gujarat Lions in the IPL

Team: Kings XI Punjab

Role: Right-hand middle-order batsman and part-time wicketkeeper

Recent Form: Like most people on this list, Akshdeep Nath has been in great form in the domestic season so far. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he is currently captaining Uttar Pradesh, he has already made three 50+ scores, which were as follows: a match-winning 87 against Tripura, a 54 in vain against Delhi, and a magnificent 72-ball 103* against Bengal.

Additional Comments: One fun fact about Nath is that he used to be a part-time medium pacer before he decided to try wicket-keeping. He has been bowling yet again in the Vijay Hazare Trophy this year. In a Kings XI Punjab side lacking a full-time wicketkeeper, Nath may get anywhere between close to no games to every game depending on whether KL Rahul keeps the wickets or not.

#3 Mahipal Lomror

Mahipal Lomror is yet another youngster whom Rajasthan Royals may be looking to develop

Team: Rajasthan Royals

Role: All-rounder; left-hand batsman and slow left-arm orthodox bowler

Recent Form: This muscular 18-year-old who plays for Rajasthan has had a decent time with the bat in both limited-overs domestic tournaments: the Vijay Hazare Trophy (246 runs at an average of 49.2) and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (229 runs at an average of 25.4). His bowling numbers are not much to speak of, but he could still be looked at as a bowling option.

Additional Comments: Lomror's selection in this list is as much a function of the team he is in as it is of his performances and potential. With the Royals' usually adopting a philosophy of nurturing young talent and giving younger player opportunities, he may find himself playing some games. Shane Warne (now the Royals' mentor) may see shades of the Ravindra Jadeja of 2008 in him.

#4 Kulwant Khejroliya

Kulwant Khejroliya is a handy left-arm bowler who has already represented Mumbai in IPL

Team: Royal Challengers Bangalore

Role: Left-arm medium-fast bowler

Recent Form: This medium pacer from Delhi has been a consistent performer this season for Delhi. He has picked up 12 wickets in the Vijay Hazare trophy so far and had a decent outing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well, picking up 14 wickets in 10 matches at an economy rate of 6.56.

Additional Comments: With reputed Indian fast bowlers such as Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav in the RCB squad along with great overseas pace options, this up-and-coming talent may not even get to play.

But his economical bowling combined with his ability to take wickets at regular intervals will make him an attractive prospect for Virat Kohli. If he does get to play, he could be used in the middle overs to choke the scoring, or even at the top as a wicket taker, this multi-faceted is definitely be one to look out for.

#5 Khaleel Ahmed

Khaleel Ahmed has previously represented Delhi in IPL

Team: Sunrisers Hyderabad

Role: Left-arm medium-pace bowler

Recent Form: This Rajasthan pacer, who previously had an IPL stint with Delhi Daredevils, has been in good form in the domestic season so far. He was the second highest wicket-taker in the Syed-Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he took 17 wickets and has had a decent outing in the Vijay Hazare trophy so far, taking 10 wickets from six games.

Additional Comments: With Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Sandeep Sharma, and T Natarajan in the team as the other Indian fast bowlers, competition for places will be quite stiff. But Ahmed offers variety as he is one of the only two left-arm Indian quicks in the team.

While he may not get to play every game, the amount that Sunrisers spent on him (3 crores) indicates that he is definitely part of their plans and one to watch out for.