Exciting IPL debutants
The Indian Premier League is not just about the glitz, glamour, and the high profile International stars. It’s also about the young and exciting IPL debutants who come out of nowhere and upstage these superstars. Over the years the tournament has provided a platform for young and unknown cricketers to showcase their talent at the highest level.
Almost all of India’s modern-day superstars are products of the deep scouting network of various IPL franchises. Ravichandran Ashwin, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishab Pant are few prominent names that have made it to the national side through the IPL.
And if you think the IPL unearths only Indian talents, then probably you don’t have a clue about how the likes of David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, and Sunil Narine have made it to their national side.
All these world-class players were scouted into various IPL franchises even before their national selectors started listing out their names. Like the previous years, IPL 2020 also has some exciting young prospects in store.
Here we look at some standout IPL debutants for this year.
IPL debutants: 10 young players to watch out for in IPL 2020
10. Priyam Garg- SRH
Garg is a right-handed middle-order batsman who plays for Uttar Pradesh in the domestic circuit. He was the second leading run-scorer for his side in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy. He was also the captain of the 2020 Indian U-19 team that lost to Bangladesh in the finals.
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His ability to bat anywhere in the middle order makes him an ideal pick for Sunrisers Hyderabad who is in dire need of a quality domestic middle-order batsman.
Priyam Garg sits number 10 on our list of “best IPL debutants.”
9. Kartik Tyagi- RR
From the land that has produced some of India’s modern-day swing bowlers like Praveen Kumar, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, and Deepak Chahar comes another young medium-pace bowler who has the ability to move the ball both ways.
He impressed in the recently concluded U-19 World Cup with his swing and accurate yorkers. This led to Rajasthan Royals spending a hefty 1.3 Cr on this youngster from UP. Along with Archer and Unadkat, he could provide the much-needed balance to the RR bowling line-up.
Kartik Tyagi sits number 9 on our list of “best IPL debutants.”
8. Abdul Samad-SRH
Effortless by Abdul Samad 🙌🏻#OrangeArmy #SRH pic.twitter.com/1WZehCZFba
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) August 17, 2020
The last year had been a life-changing journey for this young explosive batsman from Jammu and Kashmir. Former Indian all-rounder and player-cum-mentor of the J&K cricket team, Irfan Pathan spotted Samad during the camp organized by the state Ranji team. Ever since then he had been on a dream run.
He earned his maiden IPL contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad this year. His ability to score boundaries at ease makes him an ideal candidate to solve SRH’s domestic middle-order problem.
Abdul Samad sits number 8 on our list of “best IPL debutants.”
7. Josh Philippe- RCB
“I see a lot of similarities between the way he plays when I was younger.” This is what AB de Villiers had to say when he was asked about his new RCB teammate Josh Philippe. He ended up as the third-highest run-scorer in the 2019 Big Bash, where he scored 487 runs in 16 innings that too at a fairly good strike rate of 130.
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With the likes ABD, Finch, Moeen Ali, Steyn, and Morris in the line-up, the chances of him getting a match are slim. But if he gets, he could give others a run for their money.
Watch – Red-Hot Philippe hammers 81
Josh Philippe sits number 7 on our list of “best IPL debutants.”
6. Kamlesh Nagarkoti- KKR
Regarded as one of India’s quickest young seamer, this lad from Rajasthan has gone through lots of ups and down quite early in his career.
He caught everyone’s attention in the 2018 U-19 World Cup, where he consistently clocked 145+. The hype around him saw KKR spending 3.2Cr on this youngster in that year’s auction. But a series of injuries took away 19 months of his cricketing career.
Also, Read- Kamlesh Nagarkoti – India’s Pat Cummins
It forced him to opt-out of IPL 2018 and IPL 2019. He will be all geared up to make a strong comeback in IPL 2020 and possibly repay the trust KKR showed in him for the last couple of years. If Rahul Dravid’s words are to be believed his fielding credentials are on par with Ravindra Jadeja.
Kamlesh Nagarkoti sits number 6 on our list of “best IPL debutants.”
5. Ruturaj Gaikwad- CSK
CSK's Ruturaj Gaikwad to undergo two more rounds of testing, likely to miss IPL 2020 openerhttps://t.co/SijRia7Ff9 pic.twitter.com/UwsfTufhbl
— Times Now Sports (@timesnowsports) September 13, 2020
This 23-year-old top-order batsman from Maharashtra has accumulated tons of runs in List-A cricket. With 2499 runs from 54 matches at an average of 49, he stands way ahead of his contemporaries’ in-terms of his domestic record.
A fluid technique and the ability to play risk-free cricket differentiates him from the rest of the modern-day youngsters, whose strength lies heavily on power-hitting. Adding to his batting credentials he was praised by Dhoni as having a ‘Sharp cricket mind’.
Ruturaj Gaikwad sits number 5 on our list of “best IPL debutants.”
4. Ravi Bishnoi- KXIP
Ravi Bishnoi was one of the most sought out players in this year’s auction. Teams went all out for this 20-year-old. Finally, it was Kings XI Punjab who secured him for a whopping 2 Cr. A crafty leg-spinner with the ability to take the ball away from the batsman, he caught everyone’s attention in the recently concluded U-19 World Cup.
He took 17 wickets from 6 matches in the tournament, that too at an average of just above 10. It is safe to say that he was literally unplayable for the opposition batsman.
The pitches in UAE are ideal for spinners. Hence he will have to play a pivotal role along with Mujeeb Ur Rahman in KXIP’s hunt for their maiden IPL title. And to make things more interesting he’ll be playing under the guidance of India’s greatest ever spinner, Anil Kumble.
Ravi Bishnoi sits number 4 on our list of “best IPL debutants.”
3. Tom Banton- KKR
This young English batsman is already a T20 superstar. Known for his aggressive batting and un-orthodox shots, he has made his presence felt in almost all major T20 competitions around the world. He was the second-highest run-scorer in the 2019/20 T20 Blast. His exploits in the T20 Blast included 549 runs which came at an astonishing strike-rate of 161.47.
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He followed it up with an impressive BBL debut, scoring 223 runs in seven matches, that too at a stellar strike rate of about 170. Commonly referred by cricket pundits as the next ‘Kevin Pietersen’, this 21-year-old has the ability to play shots all around the ground like his idol AB De Villiers. Watch out for his reverse slap and scoops in IPL 2020.
Tom Banton sits number 3 on our list of “best IPL debutants.”
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal- RR
From selling panipuri in the streets of Mumbai to earning a hefty IPL contract. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s rags to riches story is one for the ages. He was the player of the series and leading run-scorer in the recently concluded U-19 World Cup. He scored 400 runs from just 6 matches in that tournament.
#Added with that, his ability to bowl part-time leg-spin makes him a complete all-round package. He was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals for 2.4 Cr and is likely to open the innings alongside Jos Buttler.
Yashasvi Jaiswal sits number 2 on our list of “best IPL debutants.”
1. Devdutt Padikkal- RCB
Back doing what I love 🏏#IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/8mUUGjeF7s
— Devdutt Padikkal (@devdpd07) August 29, 2020
The most exciting name in this list of IPL debutants is Devdutt Padikkal. This tall left-hander from Karnataka is arguably the biggest name in India’s domestic circuit. He topped the run charts in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 609 runs in 11 matches. He followed it up with an impressive performance in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy as well.
His 580 runs in the tournament came in just 12 games that too at a phenomenal strike-rate of 175.75. After being picked up by the RCB for the base price (20 Lakhs) in the 2019 auction, he was benched for the entire season. But with an incredible 2019 domestic season in his belt, he is expected to edge over Parthiv Patel for the RCB opening spot.
Devdutt Padikkal sits number 1 on our list of “best IPL debutants.”
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