There are two reasons for us to be thankful to the Indian Premier League. Firstly, it provides cricket of high quality for a good part of two months. And secondly, it spews out some exciting young talents who leave us awestruck with their skills.
Every year we have had one or two such players who have emerged from being an unknown entity and have made a name for themselves courtesy IPL. The 10th edition of IPL has very much belonged to the youngsters. Playing under the shadow of much celebrated International stars, a few budding cricketers have grabbed the attention of the cricketing world with some outstanding performances at the grand stage.
Here in this article, let us look at five best under-23 performers from IPL 2017.
#5 Rashid Khan
This teenage sensation from Afghanistan is probably the find of this IPL. The wily leg-spinner has troubled the best of batsmen with his variations.
With a ball in hand, the wrist-spinner is a bag of tricks. In his maiden IPL season, Rashid has taken 12 wickets in 10 games and is in contention for the purple cap. And to cap it all off, he boasts of an impressive economy rate of 6.82 runs per over. SRH, after bagging him in the auctions, are reaping rewards as the young bowler has provided breakthroughs almost every time he has been given the ball.
His quick approach and the pace at which he bowls make his variations even more potent. The leg-spinner has a lethal googly which has fetched most of his wickets. Rashid is a handy batsman down the order as well. SRH after a great start to the tournament SRH have slightly derailed a little and are in a tricky situation. And Rashid Khan will be key a player as they look to defend the coveted trophy.
#4 Ishan Kishan
Kishan is another young batsman who has been impressive this year. The left-hander, who plays for Jharkhand in the domestic circuit, was previously the captain of the Under-19 Indian side.
An opener by trade, Kishan had a rather poor start to the season but he has looked his own ever since he started opening for his team, the Gujarat Lions. So far in this IPL, he has scored 153 runs at an impressive strike rate of 130.76.
His fearless approach has helped GL get off to quick starts. In a team full of International stars, the young batsman has managed to earn a name for himself.
#3 Basil Thampi
In a country where the hunger for fast bowlers in insatiable, the arrival of Basil Thampi has been a pleasant one. Making his First-class debut just about two years ago, the right-arm pacer has learned the tricks of the trade very quickly and has troubled the batsmen in this IPL.
Thampi, who hails from Kerala, has been one of the finds of this IPL. Playing for Gujarat Lions (GL), he has taken nine wickets in 10 games. While he is a not a complete bowler just yet, he has got the right ingredients to become one. The right-armer can hit the 140 kmph mark consistently, has a very good yorker and also has good control over the variations.
In the absence of Dwayne Bravo and Andrew Tye, he is one bowler that Suresh Raina, the GL skipper, has relied heavily upon. He has been handed the responsibility of bowling at the death and the youngster has done a decent job. With time and experience under his belt, the pacer can be a star for India in future.
#2 Sanju Samson
After his debut IPL season where he amazed everyone with his stroke-making ability, Samson had slightly started fading away. But, he has found his best form once again in this IPL.
The stylish batsman has been associated with the word talented for too long now. But he seems to have realised that he is a too good a player not to convert his potential into performances.
Samson, who is the top-scorer for Daredevils this year thus far, has scored 374 runs at an outstanding average of 37.40. He scored a scintillating hundred earlier, which was also the first of this season. And his match-winning innings of 61 off 31 balls, has refreshed the memories of the abilities he possesses. With him playing the way he is, DD will fancy their chances of more wins as they aim for their maiden IPL title.
#1 Rishabh Pant
The attacking left-hander has been the talk of the tournament for some time now. After his success in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup last year, the teenager has come a long way to be labelled as the future of Indian Cricket.
Pant has had a terrific run so far in this year’s IPL. The southpaw has played some impressive cameos for Delhi Daredevils and has been their trump card. In the 10 games he has played, Pant has scored 281 runs at an impressive strike-rate of 175.62. Though he has failed on occasions, the Delhi lad has shown what he’s capable of with the bat.
He showed glimpses of his batting prowess in a fighting innings at Chinnaswamy but unfortunately couldn’t take his side home. But his demolishing innings – a 43-ball 97, against Gujarat Lions was enough to take his side to the doorsteps of a famous win. The talented left-hander is a match-winner on his day and certainly is one for the future.
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