The Indian Premier League over the years has provided an arena for the fresh legs to prove their potential. The sight of a teenager fearlessly smashing international bowlers or bamboozling some renowned batsmen with pace or spin is amazing to behold. Over the years, many youngsters have managed to get an Indian cap over the basis of their performances in the IPL. Players like Jadeja, Rayudu, Axar, Mohit and quite recently Bumrah have made strong impressions in the IPL to grab the eyeballs of the national selectors. This season of IPL has also unearthed gems with some powerful performances. Here we have a look at some of the youngsters who have produced some stunning performances in the IPL 2016.
1) Karun Nair (Delhi Daredevils)
Karun Nair first grabbed headlines playing for Rajasthan Royals. This year, representing the Delhi Daredevils, he seems to have matured a little bit. He has been batting at the top order so far for DD which has helped him foster some experience. It has given him the freedom to express himself in the field.
Chasing 192 against RCB, Karun strung together with De Kock as they built up a phenomenal partnership to secure a fantastic run chase. He went on to score 54 from 42 balls and supported De Kock quite well from the other end. His innings of 68 from 50 balls against KKR came at a time when DD were reeling at 32/3 at one stage. They eventually went on to post 186 and won the game. His whirlwind innings of 83 (59) helped DD chase a total of 161 against a strong SRH bowling lineup. With 2 required off 1 ball, he struck a boundary off Bhuvi to seal the game in DD's favour.
He also had a decent Ranji season and his big innings throughout the IPL helped him grab the attention of the Indian selectors as he was named in the Indian squad to tour Zimbabwe next month.
2) Krunal Pandya (Mumbai Indians)
If last year was Hardik Pandya's time to burst into the IPL scene, it was the elder brother's turn to showcase his talent this year. And he failed to disappoint. With some brilliant cameos and economical bowling, Krunal Pandya has clicked quite early in his stint for the Mumbai Indians.
Krunal played a good cameo of 20 (11)* and also bowled at an exceptional economy of 5 against the strong Gujarat Lions. While the strong MI batting lineup struggled to pose any challenge to the SRH bowling, Krunal's innings if 49 (28)* gave the bowlers something to defend. He followed it up with another good performance against RCB with figures of 2/27 which included the wickets of Kohli and AB de Villiers. Promoted to No.4, he scored a quickfire 36 (17) against Delhi Daredevils. But the best was yet to come in their next encounter with the same opponent. This time he stole the show with a magnanimous 37 ball 86 which was studded with 6 sixes. He followed it up with bowling figures of 2/15. He deservingly won the man of the match for his all round performance.
Krunal Pandya has already produced some great match winning moments and has confined a crucial spot for MI in the playing XI. Players of his versatility can be key to any team and he has surely emerged as a top contender for the Indian side with his stints in the IPL.
3) Rishabh Pant (Delhi Daredevils)
Having caught enough attention for his stroke playing abilities in the recent U19 World Cup, Rishabh Pant has managed to hog the limelight in IPL as well. With some fantastic knocks, he was a superb prospect for DD at the top order.
In the beginning, he couldn't contribute largely to DD's cause but his promotion against Gujarat Lions worked wonders for him in gaining confidence early into the innings. He began by smashing Kulkarni for 3 consecutive fours with some exquisite timing. He stole the show for his splendid 69 runs from 40 balls and also deservingly won the man of the match. If that was a glimpse of what he had in the store, he managed to make bowling sensation Mustafizur look ordinary in their clash against SRH.
The 18 year old guy has already blazed his way among the top performing youngsters this season. Along the way of his innings in the IPL, we might have well sighted India's future prospect.
4) Yuzvendra Chahal (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
The pocket sized dynamo gained accolades for his performance in last year's IPL. Taking 23 wickets in 12 matches, he was Kohli's go-to-man whenever RCB needed wickets. Even this year, he was among the top bowlers for RCB.
Though the leg spinner didn't have a great start to the tournament, he turned the tables and bamboozled the batsmen with his turn in the second half of the IPL. He bowled exceptionally well in the crucial ties against the Kings XI Punjab, Gujarat Lions and Delhi Daredevils. His stupendous performance helped him earn a call up for the Indian tour to Zimbabwe.
Leaving Amit Mishra, there has been a dearth in the number of Indian leg spinners who have made it big at the international stage. It would be interesting to see what Chahal has got to offer in the Indian colours.
5) Nitish Rana (Mumbai Indians), Bipul Sharma (Sun Risers Hyderabad)
In the limited chances they got, both Nitish and Bipul made a strong impact. Though they couldn't earmark extraordinary performances, they surely provided us with a glimpse of what they had to offer in the future.
Nitish Rana slammed a magnanimous 70 runs from just 36 balls in a crucial playoffs encounter. His thunderous knock made sure MI reached a decent total.
On the other hand, Bipul Sharma helped SRH finish well in 2 consecutive knockout games. While his 14 (6)* helped SRH touch 160 in the eliminator, he also provided the perfect support to Warner in the qualifiers from the other end with his match winning cameo of 27 (11)*.
Though it would be too early to call them the future of Indian cricket, it would be interesting to see how they grow from here and the IPL has just provided them a platform to instil confidence.
Fast. Lite. Innovative. Shareable. Download our HW Cricket app!