Best uncapped Indian player in each IPL team 

The biggest domestic T20 tournament is still more than two months away but the talk and the analysis around the IPL have already started. The BCCI has increased the excitement by announcing the date of commencement of the IPL.

The IPL is scheduled to start on 23rd March and the most important news is that the whole tournament would be played in India. Due to the elections, there were talks that it would shift to South Africa or UAE but it is going to be held in India.

The date of the final is yet to be finalized and the entire schedule would be announced once the general election dates are out. Another thing to look out for in this IPL is the unavailability of the star overseas players.

The World Cup will start on May 30 and so many teams want their overseas players back well before the WC. As the saying goes one’s loss is other’s gain it would be a big positive for the uncapped Indians who would be given the responsibility to step up and do big things for their respective teams.

The original tagline of IPL – “Talent meets opportunity” would be seen coming true in this IPL as the uncapped Indians would have to be at their absolute best.

Let’s have a look at the best uncapped Indians from each IPL franchises:

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#8. Dhruv Shorey (Chennai Super Kings)

Shorey is a fine young talent for CSK

Dhruv Shorey is a right-handed middle-order batsman from Delhi. He has been a consistent performer for his state team and that is the reason he was picked in the CSK squad last year. Even though he played only one game last year CSK would be aware that he has in him to perform when his team is in need.

He showed his potential in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year where he was the 2nd highest run-scorer in the tournament after his Chennai teammate Suresh Raina. He scored 219 runs at an average of 54.75 in five innings. He has a really good technique and can change his gears pretty quickly. He is definitely one to keep an eye for this season.

#7. Avesh Khan (Delhi Capitals)

Avesh performed well for Delhi in 2018

Avesh Khan is a right-arm pacer from Madhya Pradesh. He got noticed in the 2016 U-19 World Cup as he was the leading wicket-taker for India. He picked up 12 wickets in six games at an average of 15.08.

Khan is the leading wicket-taker of MP in this year’s Ranji Trophy as he has picked up 35 wickets in just seven games with three fifers. The 22-year-old bowler can bowl really quick as he clocks the speed meter up to 145 kmph.

He hurries some of the batsmen as he generates more pace than is expected. Owing to his stunning performance in the U-19 World Cup, he was picked by RCB in the auction.

He made his IPL debut for RCB in their last game in 2017 against DC and looked impressive. He was picked by DC in the next year and played a few games for them last year. Even though his IPL numbers aren’t great he was the potential to change them and he might do it this year.

#6. Ankit Rajpoot (Kings XI Punjab)

Rajpoot has made the news for his good show with the ball

Ankit Rajpoot is another good pace bowler from Uttar Pradesh. He is part of the MRF Pace Foundation and Glenn McGrath talks about him quite openly. He too can bowl quick and crosses the 140 KMPH mark regularly. He was good in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year as he picked up six wickets in four games.

He is having a great time in the Ranji Trophy as well as he has picked up 37 wickets in just six games. The 27-year-old quick was brilliant in the last IPL season. He took 11 wickets in 8 games which included a five-wicket haul. His figures of 5/14 against SRH helped KXIP restrict the opposition to just 132. Rajpoot uses his height to good effect.

He extracts bounce and hits high on the bat which is quite uncomfortable with some of the Indian batsman. KXIP would be hoping that he goes from strength to strength and performs well in the upcoming season.

#5. Shivam Dube (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Dube plays for Mumbai in the domestic circuit

Shivam Dube is a seam-bowling all-rounder who plays for Mumbai. Dube bats left-handed and is naturally aggressive. He likes to take on the bowlers. He even bowls medium pace which is pretty effective. There aren’t many Indian seam-bowling all-rounders and Shivam Dube is one of them.

Many franchises showed interest when his name came up in the auction. He was picked up by RCB for 5 Crore. He came into notice when he smashed Pravin Tambe for five sixes in an over. In this Ranji season, he has scored 632 runs at an average of 52.67.

More than the runs it’s the 25 sixes which he has hit that has created the buzz. For the last two years, we have seen that RCB struggle once Virat and ABD get out. They didn’t have many Indian middle-order batsmen. Dube can play that role perfectly. He would combine really well with Shimron Hetmyer. Being a left-hander it would bring some more variety to the batting line-up. This is his first IPL and it would be interesting to see how he goes about it.

#4. Deepak Hooda (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Hooda would want to turn things around big time

Deepak Hooda is a well known for all the cricket fans. He is playing in the IPL for a few years now. He made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals in 2015. In his first season itself, he impressed many with his power hitting.

It seemed like he can clear the boundary pretty easily. In the last few years, he has added some more gears to his game. He can even build an innings if necessary. The 23-year-old is a perfect floater which you would like to have in your team. He can bat wherever you ask him. He can not only come into bat at No.3 and build an innings but also come at No.6 and score some quick runs.

Add to that he can bowl some handy off-spin overs. As a team, you get a complete package with Hooda. He has a lot of scopes to improve his IPL numbers and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he does it this year.

#3. Krishnappa Gowtham (Rajasthan Royals)

Gowtham is a handy all-rounder for Rajasthan

Krishnappa Gowtham is a spin bowling all-rounder who was picked by Rajasthan in the last year’s auction for 6.2 Crore. It seemed a pretty high price for a newcomer but he has delivered for them last year.

He was one of the underrated players from the last IPL. The 30-year-old spinner you used to bowl some tough overs as he opened the bowling for RR a number of times last year. He picked up some crucial wickets to turn matches which includes the important wicket of Virat Kohli in their last league game which helped them qualify for the playoffs.

His batting was also effective. He played some really good cameos to win games for his team especially the one against MI where he came out of nowhere and smashed 33 off just 11 balls. He has made his way to the India A side last year and he would be a crucial player for RR this year.

#2. Ishan Kishan (Mumbai Indians)

Ishan Kishan opened for Mumbai last season

Ishan Kishan was the captain of the Indian U-19 team which was runners-up in the 2016 edition. He is a young aggressive wicket-keeper batsman who likes to play his shots. He was first picked by Gujrat Lions in 2016.

After some decent performances with Gujarat Lions, he was picked by Mumbai in the last auction for 6.2 Crore. He batted at various positions last year as he was mostly used a floater. He had a decent season as he scored 275 runs in 12 innings at a strike-rate of 149.45. He smashed 62 off 21 balls against KKR where he hit Kuldeep Yadav for four consecutive sixes.

The 20-year-old is a part of the India A team most of the times. He is one of the future prospects for India. He could score more runs if he bats in the top-three but Mumbai have far too many top order batsmen. It would be interesting where he bats for MI this season.

#1. Shubman Gill (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Gill is one of the brightest prospects for the future

Young talents are always exciting but at the moment nobody is more exciting than this young batsman from Punjab. Before the 2018 U-19 World Cup all the talk was about Prithvi Shaw but Gill after the World Cup it was Shubman Gill who owned the batting charts.

He was India’s leading run-scorer as he scored 372 runs in five innings at an astonishing average of 124! He even won the Player of the Tournament award. His batting style is something worth watching, he times the ball to perfection. He was part of the Kolkata side last year but was batting at No.6 or No.7.

He still impressed many as he scored an unbeaten fifty when he got a chance up the order. There are a lot of talks about his inclusion in the Indian side but it will still take some time. At the moment he has the perfect opportunity to show what he is capable of and we have the opportunity to watch him in IPL 2019.