IPL 2019: 6 upcoming players to watch out for

The 2019 Indian Premier League is almost here. With just over a month to go for the annual gala event of Indian cricket, most of the teams have started preparing with their respective training camps in full force.

Over time, the IPL has gained more importance for teams not just Indian, but also foreign. The T20 tournament has been able to provide a big stage to various talented cricketers who have made it count in international cricket by starring for their national sides later in their career. Some of the prime examples for the Indian cricket team are pacer Jasprit Bumrah and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.

This year, at the auction, the eight franchises picked many exciting young cricketers who have the potential to light up IPL 2019 for their respective teams. In no particular order, let's look at the most exciting newcomers of this season.

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#6 Shimron Hetmyer (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Shimron Hetmyer has already established a name for himself as a hard-hitting batsman from the Caribbean. In August 2018, he became the youngest batsman to score a century in the Caribbean Premier League, when he made 100 for Guyana Amazon Warriors against the Jamaica Tallawahs.

Hetmyer then came to light last year during Windies' tour of India where he was the top scorer for his side with 259 runs in 5 innings at an average of 51.80 and a strike rate of brilliant 140.

Bought for a hefty price of INR 4.2 crore by the Bangalore-based franchise, Hetmyer is set to add great value to RCB's star-studded line-up consisting of Indian captain Virat Kohli and former South African skipper AB De Villiers among other seasoned international cricketers.

#5 Sam Curran (Kings XI Punjab)

Sam Curran was on fire during the Test series against India in 2018

Sam Curran posed sizable problems for India by making substantial contributions to both runs and wickets during the Test series in 2018. He scored 272 runs in 4 matches at an average of 38.85 and picked 11 wickets at 23.54. It was during this series when the 20-year-old caught the eye of franchises and fans alike.

Curran was subsequently bought by the Punjab-based franchise for a massive INR 7.2 crores. This made him an overnight millionaire as bagged the highest amount by a foreign cricketer in this year's auction.

Curran is a handy left-handed batsman down the order and a lethal seamer. He will surely be one of the first names on the KXIP team sheet this year.

#4 Shivam Dube (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Shivam Dube can be an exciting future prospect for the Indian national team

Shivam Dube is a 25-year-old pace bowling all-rounder - a combination that is considered a rare commodity in Indian cricket. At 6 feet high, he is capable of bowling in the mid 130s and can smack the ball for sixes all around the park.

Prior to the auction this year, former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar had showered Dube with praise by saying, "The national selectors should be sitting and taking notice of this talent. He has scored two Ranji hundreds and also picked a fifer which is more than some who are considered indispensable to the Indian team have done. Besides being a left-hander, he also brings a variation that the team can do with."

On the eve of the auction, Dube hit five sixes off five deliveries in a Ranji Trophy game for Mumbai against Baroda. He was later picked by RCB for a whopping INR 5 crores.

#3 Varun Chakravarthy (Kings XI Punjab)

Varun Chakravarthy had a great run in Tamil Nadu Premier League in 2018

Varun Chakravarthy is a mystery spinner from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chakravarthy initially played as a fast bowling all-rounder but a knee injury he sustained meant that he could not continue with fast bowling and hence forcing him to practice spin.

Chakravarthy rose to prominence after an impressive run in the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2018 where he was a major contributor in winning the title for his team Siechem Madurai Panthers.

According to the man himself, he holds seven different variations up his sleeve which he unleashed in the TNPL. This was the tournament where he bowled 40 overs out of which 125 deliveries were dots.

His services were later bought by KXIP for a gigantic INR 8.4 crores - the joint highest bid this year. He can be a great spin bowling asset to his side along with captain Ravichandran Ashwin.

#2 Prabhsimran Singh (Kings XI Punjab)

Prabhsimran Singh is a star in the making

Prabhsimran Singh went for a lip-smacking INR 4.8 crores to Kings XI Punjab and made headlines all around the country. The Patiala-lad idolizes Virender Sehwag and plays an explosive brand of cricket as a wicket-keeper batsman.

He shone after hitting 65* off 37 balls in the final of the U-19 Asia Cup in 2018. Captaining the side in the absence of regular captain Pavan Shah who was forced to sit out owing to an injury, Prabhsimran played on the front foot to help his team clinch the title against Sri Lanka. It should not be surprising if he gets to play right away as the first choice wicket-keeper in the KXIP side in IPL 2019.

#1 Prayas Ray Barman (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

16-year-old Bengal cricketer Prayas Ray Barman was picked up by RCB

Prayas Ray Barman is an exciting 16-year-old leg-spinner from Bengal. As of now, he has not played a single Ranji Trophy game but has garnered enough fame in just 9 List A matches to get an IPL contract, that too from the national team captain's franchise.

Making his debut for Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Barman picked 4 wickets for just 20 runs against the Jammu and Kashmir side in September 2018. The Royal Challengers acquired his services for a big amount of INR 1.5 crores.

With Yuzvendra Chahal leading the spin attack for the side, IPL 2019 will be a big learning curve for young Prayas Ray Barman.

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