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The Indian Premier League (IPL) has time and again proved to be an incredible platform for talented young players to prove their mettle.
While performing in domestic cricket competitions like the Ranji Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is an important factor in gauging the talent and temperament of youngsters, the IPL goes one step further and exposes these players to the pressures of international cricket.
By playing with some of the finest cricketers around the world, these youngsters get a feel of the big stage at an early age. This helps them become better players and instills great confidence in them.
Every year, the IPL produces few youngsters who embrace the limelight and fast-track their way into the national team setup. Let's have a look at five such youngsters who could have an IPL season to remember.
#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal is destined to be the next big thing to come out of Mumbai. From selling pani puri for a living to becoming the Man of the Tournament in the 2020 U-19 World Cup, the 19-year-old has definitely come a long way.
Although Team India lost the U-19 World Cup final to Bangladesh, Jaiswal was the star of the tournament, scoring 400 runs. There led to a bidding war between different IPL teams to secure the youngster's services.
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) won the bid for Jaiswal and signed the 19-year-old for INR 2.4 crores - more than ten times his base price. He was destined to form a blistering opening partnership with Jos Buttler in IPL 2020. However, that was not the case in the end.
Surprisingly, Jaiswal could only play 3 matches in the entire IPL 2020 season, where he scored just 40 runs at a modest average of 13.33 with a poor strike-rate of 90.90. RR tried different options at the top like skipper Steve Smith himself, Buttler, Ben Stokes and Robin Uthappa, giving young Jaiswal no chance of making a comeback.
Nevertheless, RR have released Smith ahead of the IPL 2021 season and have traded Robin Uthappa to the Chennai Super Kings. This has opened up a spot for the 19-year-old at the top of the order alongside either Stokes or Buttler.
With the left-hander likely to get a longer rope this time around, IPL 2021 could be Jaiswal's season to finally shine.
#2 Kamlesh Nagarkoti
Team India's victorious U-19 World Cup campaign in 2018 was a testament to emerging fast bowlers like Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi and Ishan Porel. Out of the trio, Nagarkoti was the most impressive as he bowled accurately with that extra bit of pace.
Nagarkoti caught the attention of a number of IPL teams. It was the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) who bagged the youngster in the IPL 2018 auction for a whopping INR 3.2 crores. Nagarkoti was certainly going to enjoy bowling at Eden Gardens as the wicket there had begun to suit the fast bowlers.
However, his joy was short-lived as an injury ruled him out of the entire IPL 2018 season. Lightning struck twice for the youngster as he ended up missing the following IPL season as well.
Nevertheless, the KKR team management didn't lose faith in Nagarkoti's ability. They know he is a special talent and have backed him and played a huge role in his rehabilitation.
Nagarkoti finally made his IPL debut in the 2020 season. Although he played 10 games last year, he only picked up five wickets. However, given that he has a season-long experience under his belt, he will be better prepared this time around.
Nagarkoti has also understood how to take care of his body and remain injury-free. The 2021 IPL season could really be a game-changer for the youngster if he is able to deliver for KKR.
#3 Abdul Samad
You know you are a talented all-rounder when a cricketer of Irfan Pathan's stature urges IPL franchises to pick you in the auction. This is exactly what happened to young Abdul Samad, who caught the eye of the 36-year-old while playing for Jammu and Kashmir.
Listening to Pathan's advice, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) snapped up Samad in the IPL 2020 auction for 20 lakhs, which was his base price. However, it proved to be a real bargain buy as the youngster went on to become a key part of SRH's lower middle-order.
Although he bagged just 111 runs in the 12 matches that he played in IPL 2020, each and every run was impactful as Samad scored at a blistering strike-rate of 170.76. He played a couple of incredible cameos and proved that despite being young, he belonged in the IPL.
Although the 19-year-old is still not the finished product, he has all the talent in the world to become one of the most fearsome hitters in the IPL. He is also handy with his leg-spin and can chip in with a few overs.
If SRH back him to bat a little higher up the order and if he gets to face more deliveries, Samad can set the stage on fire in the IPL 2021 season.
#4 Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket for Maharashtra. However, his breakthrough season happened in the 2019-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he finished the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer. The 23-year-old scored 419 runs from 11 matches at a healthy average of 41.90 with an impressive strike-rate of 146.50.
These numbers were enough for him to be retained by the three-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the 2020 season. However, he had the worst possible start to last year's tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.
After Gaikwad recovered, he couldn't score runs in the middle-order or while opening the batting. After three innings, in which he scored a total of just five runs, Gaikwad was dropped from CSK's playing XI.
The 23-year-old got a chance towards the end of the IPL 2020 league phase when CSK had lost all the hope of making it to the playoffs. However, he turned out to be a shining light in what was a dull season for CSK.
Gaikwad scored three consecutive fifties at the top of the order and ended the IPL 2020 season on a high. He scored 204 runs in 6 games at a fabulous average of 51.
With Shane Watson retiring, Gaikwad is likely to get a full season at the top of the order for CSK. If he can maintain the consistency that he showed towards the end of last season, the sky could be the limit for the 23-year-old.
#5 Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh was able to give KXIP the option of having a left-arm seamer in IPL 2020. He improved last year from his performance in IPL 2019, where he picked up three wickets from as many games.
Bowling was the biggest problem for KL Rahul's men faced last year, as they had a topsy-turvy season. Losing six of their first seven games, KXIP went on to win their next five on the trot.
Although they couldn't make it to the playoffs, Arshdeep Singh showed the potential to become a reliable bowling option for KXIP. He picked up 9 wickets in the 8 games at an economy of 8.77.
The 21-year-old is having a fine 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Punjab. He has picked up 10 wickets from 6 games so far at a brilliant economy of 6.21. Singh has been instrumental in Punjab's run to the semifinal of the tournament.
If Arshdeep Singh is able to maintain his sizzling form, he can be a huge asset to KXIP and can stamp his authority on IPL 2021.
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