The Indian Premier League has been instrumental in giving raw talents an opportunity to showcase their abilities in front of millions of fans.
The IPL from its inception had that notion of being an ideal platform for younger Indian players to burst onto the scene along with some of the best players in the world.
The ninth edition of the IPL is also maintaining the tradition of turning unknown entities into household names. Several Indian players who haven’t yet featured in Indian’s premier domestic tournament The Ranji Trophy are set to become stars in the IPL.
Here we take a look at five players from the IPL who haven’t played in Ranji Trophy yet.
Krunal Pandya (Mumbai Indians)
The 25-year-old allrounder from Gujarat made the headlines at the IPL auction last year when he was acquired by the Mumbai Indian for Rs. 2 crores. He was a relatively new name in the cricketing fraternity but the talented all-rounder showed his calibre in this year’s IPL.
He has been a part of the Mumbai Indians side in seven out of their nine matches so far. The left-handed batsman has scored 111 runs at a splendid average of 55.50 and with a blistering strike-rate of 181.96. He played explosive unbeaten innings of 49 off just 28 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Apart from his batting the left-arm orthodox bowler also contributed with his bowling. He picked up three wickets so far with a respectable economy rate of 7.83. His performance for the Mumbai-based franchise has made him a household name just like his younger brother Hardik Pandya.
Shivil Kaushik (Gujarat Lions)
The 20-year-old left-arm chinaman bowler from Karnataka has been one of the most entertaining bowlers to watch in this year’s IPL. The young spinner caught everyone’s eyes with his unorthodox bowling action and dubbed as India's Paul Adams by the fans.
He burst onto the scene in the Karnataka Premier League last year and was brought by the newly formed team Gujarat Lions. He made his IPL debut against the Rising Pune Supergiants and immediately made it difficult for the batsmen with his awkward action and disciplined bowling.
The left-arm chinaman bowler picked up three key wickets against Kings XI Punjab including two in two consecutive balls. His unusual action may make him big news over the course but his bowling looks mighty impressive also.
Praveen Dubey (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
A leg-spinner by trade, Praveen Dubey is another product of the Karnataka Premier League who has managed to grab an IPL contract this year. The 22-year old has been signed up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise for INR 35 lakhs at the 2016 IPL auction.
Dubey has played 2 seasons in the KPL so far and represented 2 different franchises, namely the Hubli Tigers and the Belgavi Panthers. Across his 2-season long career in the tournament, the leggie has snapped up 15 wickets in as many matches.
Praveen Dubey made his List A debut for Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy last year; however, he is yet to play in the Ranji Trophy. The youngster, who also not played for RCB so far, will be hoping he gets an opportunity to prove himself in the IPL.
KC Cariappa (Kings XI Punjab)
The leg-break bowler from Karnataka is another cricketer who hasn’t played a Ranji Trophy match yet. The 22-year-old was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team last season but was dropped and brought by Kings XI Punjab for Rs. 80 lakhs this year.
He made his debut for the Punjab-based franchise against the Gujarat Lions in Rajkot. He first contributed 15 runs with the bat which were important for the eventual result of the match and bowled three very tight overs while defending.
He bowled three overs and conceded only 15 runs while defending 154 was superb in the circumstances. He looks to be a formidable bowler to keep an eye on in this year’s tournament.
Kishore Kamath (Mumbai Indians)
The 21-year-old young leg-spinner and middle order batsman was snapped up by the Mumbai Indians in this year’s auction for a whopping 1.4 crores. The prodigy came into the scene when represented Hubli Tigers in the 2015 Karnataka Premier League.
The young all-rounder also performed well in the KSCA first division league for Malleswaram Gymkhana. His ten scalps in seven matches at an economy of less than six runs an over earned him an invitation to attend the trials organised by Royal Challengers Bangalore in January 2016.
However, in the auction, Mumbai Indians had the last laugh as they bought the youngster for a value which was almost 14 times his base price of INR 10 lakhs. He is yet to feature in the IPL 2016 but is surely someone to watch out for whenever he plays.
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