(Cricket news) With the IPL season set to begin from the 26th of March, it's time to look at the lesser known uncapped players in each of the teams who can make a significant impact. Over the years we have seen a plethora of players get the much needed pedestal in the IPL to showcase their talent and some players have gone on to represent the country also. So let us take a look at some of these players:
- Sunrisers Hyderabad (Umar Malik)
The 22 year old fast bowler from Jammu and Kashmir took the IPL by storm when he bowled the quickest delivery by an Indian – 153 Kph, but he didn’t get enough game time to actually prove his wicket taking ability. Seeing his raw talent the Indian selectors fast tracked his career and gave him the opportunity to bowl in the nets during the T20 World Cup last year. Like his deliveries, even his career has been on the fast-track.
Three years ago, Umar was struggling to get into Jammu & Kashmir’s team, but fast forward to last October, he was bowling to the likes Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers in the IPL, and in November he made his first-class debut for India A against South Africa A. He is still a raw diamond which needs some final touches as this season he will be given the mantle to lead the bowling attack for SRH which will showcase his talent.
- Gujarat Titans (Abhinav Manohar Sadarangani)
The Gujarat Titans shelled out massive money for Abhinav Manohar Sadarangani as the 27 year old only made his domestic debut in November 2021, but made a huge impact in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy, batting at no 5 he was the highest run-scorer for Karnataka, making 162 runs in four games at a strike rate of 150.00 and an average of 54.00. His performances caught the eye of many IPL franchises.
He played an integral part in Karnataka reaching the final where they eventually lost out to a last ball six by Shah Rukh Khan but Abhinav’s performances didn’t go unnoticed. He should add the much needed firepower in the middle order, and slot in alongside the likes of Hardik Pandya and Rahul Tewatia as the finishers in the team. Sadarangani looks like a promising talent who could deliver the goods for Hardik Pandya's side who look a bit unenterprising on paper.
- Lucknow SuperGiants (Ayush Badoni)
The LSG franchise have the smallest squad in the IPL with the least amount of uncapped players but Ayush Badoni the 19 year old from Delhi will be part of their squad. Although in most likelihood he won’t get much game time but he’s a future investment for this new franchise. The 19 years old really got the recognition in a U19 test match against Sri Lanka when he put the Lankan players down with both bat and ball and his performance had been appreciated by many cricket experts. He bowled a brilliant spell of Off spin bowling and he scalped 4 of the key wickets in the first innings. Badoni actually stole the show when he thrashed the Srilankan bowling whilst batting at the no. 7, he played a magical innings of 185 runs in just 205 deliveries which clearly proves is skills at such a young age
- Royal Challengers Bangalore (Anuj Rawat)
The left handed batsman, who can double up as a wicketkeeper as well was bought for a whopping 3.4 cr, he will mainly act as a replacement for Devdutt Padikkal in the squad. He was born in Ram Nagar in Uttarakhand and made his First-Class debut for Delhi versus Assam. Batting at No 7, Rawat scored 71 off 147 balls. The 22-year-old slammed 925 runs from 19 First-Class games at an average of 34.25 including two centuries and three half-centuries.
Rawat has scored 573 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy at a superb of 44.07 including five fifties which is quite impressive considering his age. Rawat is a multi dimensional batsman who either bat as a finisher or could open the innings with Faf Du Plessis at the top, providing RCB with a left hand – right hand batting option. For Anuj it will be a big season since he has to fill in a major void left behind by Padikkal at the top.
- Rajasthan Royals (Riyan Parag)
Riyan Parag over the years has become a mainstay for the teams and this year the team management have shown the same faith in him to finally perform to his full potential. He came into the limelight when Parag played for the India U19 team in the 2018 World Cup where he was captained by Prithvi Shaw and was bought by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL 2019 auction for his base price only. He created history when he became the youngest cricketer in the IPL to score a half-century at the age of 17 years and 175 days.
In 23 IPL innings for Rajasthan Royals, Parag has made 339 runs with just one solitary half-century at a strike rate of 118.50 and average of 16.90. He has hit 29 fours and 12 sixes so far. However, Parag’s actual credentials lie with Assam where he boasts a decent record for them in domestic cricket, with 659 runs in 13 First-Class matches with one century and 4 half-centuries. He has 756 runs in 29 List-A games with 6 half-centuries and the best score of 86. In 57 T20 games, he has 1019 runs with 8 half-centuries, the best score of 77* at an average of 24.85, and a strike rate of 126.27.
Also read: Top uncapped players to watch out for CSK, MI, KKR, DC, PBKS
