2 India 'A' stars who are likely to earn an IPL contract in 2024
India 'A' recently finished as runners-up in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023 tournament. Unlike the other participating teams in the tournament, the BCCI decided to send in an inexperienced squad for this competition.
Not a single member of the Indian squad had any experience of playing international cricket at the senior level.
On the other side, the champions Pakistan 'A' had players who, put together, had played a total of 81 international games for the country at the senior level.
While the India 'A' squad members did not have much international experience, there were a few IPL stars in the squad. Captain Yash Dhull made his debut for the Delhi Capitals recently, while Sai Sudharsan stole the show with a magnificent knock for Gujarat Titans in the final.
Even the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Harshit Rana, and Dhruv Jurel had some IPL experience before playing in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023. Still, there were a few players in the India 'A' squad who had no IPL experience.
The IPL team owners would have noticed the rising stars in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023. Looking at the performances of the following two names, it seems likely that they may earn an IPL contract in the 2024 season. Here are two such players in focus.
#1 Nikin Jose scored 1 half-century for India 'A' in ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023
Nikin Jose came into the limelight back in 2015 when he made his Karnataka Premier League debut for the Mysuru Warriors against the Valmark Rockstars. Aged 15, Jose scalped a six-wicket haul on debut, becoming the first player to achieve the feat in KPL history.
Jose also chipped in with an 18-ball 25 in the match and ended up winning the Man of the Match award. He played for India 'A' in the recently-concluded ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023 tournament.
The 22-year-old player impressed the fans with a half-century in the group stage match against Pakistan 'A'. He did not bowl in the tournament, but Jose played a match-winning knock of 41* against UAE 'A' as well.
IPL teams looking for a top-order batter who can also take wickets with off-spin could target him in the 2024 season.
#2 Manav Suthar
Manav Suthar is a bowling all-rounder. The 20-year-old bowls left-arm spin and bats left-handed. He has represented India 'A' as well as India U-19s. Talking about his performance in the recently-concluded ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023 event, Suthar bagged a three-wicket haul each against Pakistan 'A' and Bangladesh 'A'.
He has played a couple of domestic T20 matches for Rajasthan as well, where he bagged two wickets at an economy rate of 6.16. Since the Rajasthan Royals have been looking for a reliable all-rounder in the last two years, they can probably target Suthar at the next auction.
Suthar hails from Ganganagar, Rajasthan. He would have a good idea of the conditions in Rajasthan and could prove to be an asset for the Royals.