4 young players who can use the IPL as a launchpad to cement their place in the Indian team

#1 Rishabh Pant

Pant played in the U-19 World Cup days before the 2016 IPL auctions

Rishabh Pant smashed an 18 ball half-century in the 2016 Under-19 world cup just five days before the 2016 auction. Then 18-year-old Pant was subsequently bought by the Delhi Daredevils at a whopping sum of 1.9 crores on 6 February 2016. On the very same day, the impressive youngster from Roorkee hit a picturesque century to guide India to the semi-finals of the world cup.

Pant had a sub-par performance in the 2016 edition, with 198 runs in 10 innings. It could be argued though that he didn't get ample opportunities to prove himself as he was sent too low down the order.

The 2017 season saw Pant deliver an impressive 366 runs in 14 innings, including a memorable knock of 97 against the Gujarat Lions. His impressive performances in the domestic circuit saw him get to don India's blue jersey in as early as February 2017, making him the youngest Indian debutante in a T20 match. He got his first cap against England, albeit he didn't get much of a chance to showcase himself.

He played just 3 balls and stayed not out at 5 runs. Pant got a chance again against the West Indies in July 2017, wherein he notched up 38 runs. His cautious knock earned him a low strike rate of 108.57 on a batting pitch, and the West Indies easily chased down the target of 191 thanks to a marvelous Evin Lewis century. Given that he is touted to be Dhoni's successor behind the stumps, it was shocking to see Pant being omitted from the T20 squad that faced Sri Lanka in December 2017.

At 20, Pant has most of his career in front of him and must be ecstatic at having gotten the opportunity to represent his country at such a small age. The recent snub in the announcement of India's T20 squad against Sri Lanka should only inspire Pant to perform even better. The talented youngster will surely be eager to regain his spot in the national colors by making his mark in the 2018 edition of IPL.