Five under 19 players to look out for during IPL 2018

The Under-19 World Cup, just before the IPL auction, provided the best platform for the young guns to prove their mettle.

With India winning the under-19 World Cup a lot of them went for hefty pay packages during the IPL auction. Apart from them, there were a few others who put up strong performances and were picked up by the teams during the auction.

Here are the top 5 exciting players to watch out during IPL 2018:

#5 Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Mujeeb Ur Rahman, also known as Mujeeb Zadran, is an Afgan player who has the record for being the youngest player to take a five-wicket haul in an ODI. His best performance came in the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, where he helped Afghanistan win the cup by taking 20 wickets in 5 matches. He was picked up by Kings XI Punjab for a hefty sum of 4 crores. Just like Rashid Khan, expect the young Turk to bamboozle the batsman with his bag of tricks.

Mujeeb Zadran's role will be to pick up wickets and fill in the second spinners position for Kings XI Punjab. Bowling in tandem with Axar Patel, he will play a key role in the middle overs. Being his first IPL and with limited experience in T20 cricket, it will be important for Mujeeb Zadran to keep his calm in pressure situations.

#4 Shubham Gill

The young lad from Punjab, on his Under-16 state debut, made an unbeaten double-century in the Vijay Merchant Trophy. His stroke-making ability was evident from the beginning and he was duly rewarded as he was made the India U-19 vice-captain. He struck India's first century of the tournament against Pakistan and his stroke-making was breathtaking. He was adjudged the player of the tournament during the Under 19 World Cup.

He is known for his big hitting and will play for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. With a mix of aggression and caution, he has a knack for holding one end of the innings. His footwork is exceptional against the spinners and he will be an asset to the middle order of KKR. After his amazing performance during the ICC Under 19 World Cup, there are huge expectations from him during the IPL.

#3 Shivam Mavi:

The young lad is from Meerut, UP, which has been the hometown of two specialist swing bowlers in Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar. Shubham Mavi's personality doesn't match a fast bowlers image but with his pace, he can intimidate the best of the batsmen. He has a lovely rhythmical run-up and his specialty is inswing bowling. With his idol being Dale Steyn, he practices very hard and doesn't like being hit all over the park.

Having taken eight wickets at a miserly economy rate of 4 in the under-19 World Cup before the auctions, he was snatched away by KKR for a whopping sum of Rs. 3 crores. He bowls at a pace of around 145kps and has deadly yorkers. His bowling style has been appreciated by greats like Sourav Ganguly and Ian Bishop.

#2 Prithvi Shaw:

Prithvi Shaw came into the limelight after hitting 546 runs in a Harris Shield elite division match. He made his Ranji Trophy debut in the semi-final against Tamil Nadu and scored a second-innings century that led his team to victory. It was a very mature knock in a very difficult situation.

At 17, Shaw became the youngest player to score a century on Duleep Trophy debut, a record previously held by Sachin Tendulkar. His batting style is very similar to the little master, which has often drawn comparisons from the greats of the game.

During the ICC Under 19 World Cup, he impressed with the bat, scoring 261 runs across 6 games at an average of 65, often getting his side to quick starts. He has been picked up by Delhi Daredevils for a whopping sum of Rs.1.2 crores. With Gautam Gambhir and Jason Roy being the most probable opening combination, it is unlikely that Prithvi Shaw will get a lot of chances. Under the tutelage of Ricky Pointing, we can expect him to scale even greater heights.

#1 Kamlesh Nagarkoti:

Kamlesh Nagarkoti was born in Barmer, Rajasthan and made his List A debut for Rajasthan during the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He claimed the first hat-trick by a Rajasthan bowler in List A cricket during the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy to bowl his side to victory. During the U-19 tour to England, Nagarkoti emerged as the leading wicket-taker with 14 scalps across two Youth Tests. During the ICC Under 19 World Cup, he bowled exceptionally well and took 9 wickets at an economy rate of 3.48.

Nagarkoti will don the purple and gold jersey of Kolkata after he was snapped up by KKR for Rs 3.2 crores. With his bowling consistently hitting the 140 kph mark, we can expect him to rattle the batsman with pace.

His athleticism on the field and ability to bowl at a quick pace makes him a captain's dream. The young Indian pacer will be under tremendous pressure to perform and justify his price tag. It will be interesting to see if KKR regularly use him during the season.