The Indian Premier League has been widely credited for the door of opportunities and exposure it has opened for the talented youngsters from India and around the world, grooming them from a raw talent to a cricketing superstar of their country. The examples include the likes Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal, just to name a few.
As IPL gears up for its 14th edition, we bring to you top five youngsters who can make it big in the tournament this year and in turn find a spot in the Indian national side.
1. Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal left a great impression in IPL 2020 after having a dream stint in his debut season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. In 15 matches, he made 473 runs with a decent strike rate of 124.80. The fact that he made his presence felt amidst the star studded RCB line up consisting of Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers speaks volumes of his talent. Padikkal smashed 5 half centuries and was conferred the 'Emerging Player' award last season.
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal won everyone's heart after his picture of greeting MS Dhoni with joined hands went viral on the internet. However, the 19 year old didn't get an ideal start to his IPL career as he managed to score only 40 runs in his three games with a strike rate of below 100 playing for the Rajasthan Royals. Nevertheless, the youngster will walk into the field this year on the back of his decent form in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy where he was part of the winning Mumbai side.
3. Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan, the explosive batsman from Tamil Nadu has been picked by the Punjab Kings this year for a whopping 5.25 crore rupees on a base price of just 20 lakhs thanks to his fiery batting abilities. In 31 T20 games he has played so far, Khan has scored 293 runs. In the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he smashed 88 runs in his 4 innings with a strike rate of 220.
4. Mohammed Azharuddeen
Mohammed Azharuddeen has been the talk of the town in India's domestic cricket circuit in recent times. He rose to fame earlier this year with his second fastest hundred in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy smashing 100 off just 37 deliveries against a formidable Mumbai side. The wicket keeper batsman will be seen representing the RCB this season. In the 24 T20s he has played, the Keralite has an impressive strike rate of 142.27.
5. Ruturaj Gaikwad
The talented young gun from Maharashtra scored 3 successive half centuries for the Chennai Super Kings last season after a string of 3 low scores and being diagnosed with COVID-19 at the start of the season. He scored a century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Himachal Pradesh. With the retirement of Shane Watson, Gaikwad could be seen making it to the core playing 11 and play a pivotal role in restoring CSK's lost pride in the last season.
