3 IPL 2023 superstars who are part of India's next breed of all-format batters
All-format cricketers are quickly becoming a thing of the past, but platforms like the Indian Premier League (IPL) give players, particularly young ones, the chance to prove their worth in various situations.
At the moment, India have only a few players like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah who play all three formats on a consistent basis. It's no coincidence that all three are injured right now. Even the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are currently out of the T20I picture, with their future remaining uncertain.
It's certainly rare to find players with the ability and the fitness to mold their game accordingly, but IPL 2023 illustrated that there are a few names who have immense potential. These players' records in domestic cricket speak for themselves, and two of these are uncapped as well.
Here are three IPL 2023 superstars who are part of India's next breed of all-format batters.
#3 Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh was one of the breakout stars of IPL 2023. Playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the southpaw racked up well over 400 runs and finished off games with aplomb, sometimes from impossible situations.
Rinku is fast becoming one of the country's best T20 finishers, but that's not all there is to his game. The Uttar Pradesh man has excellent numbers in the other two formats as well. He averages a commendable 53 at a strike rate of 95.15 in List A cricket and an equally impressive 59.89 in first-class cricket.
Rinku has eight centuries and 35 fifties to his name in domestic cricket, clearly depicting his all-format skill and pedigree. The 25-year-old isn't far from a national T20I call-up and could slowly work his way into the other two squads as well.
#2 Yashasvi Jaiswal
All the signs point towards Yashasvi Jaiswal being a generational talent. Domestic cricket has witness enough of the same over the last two seasons, and the opening batter also made a name for himself on the biggest stage he has seen so far, the IPL, with 625 runs in the 2023 season.
Jaiswal has played only 15 first-class matches, but in that small sample size, he has displayed a penchant for massive hundreds. He has already racked up 1,845 runs at a stupendous average of 80.21, and nine of his 11 fifty-plus scores have been converted into tons.
A player who excels at FC and T20 cricket is probably going to have decent List A numbers too, and Jaiswal isn't any different. The 21-year-old has an average of 53.96 and a strike rate of 86.19 over 32 innings, with five centuries and seven fifties.
The sky is the limit for Jaiswal, who was recently called up to India's Test squad for the West Indies tour.
#1 Shubman Gill
Unlike the other two players on this list, Shubman Gill is already an established Indian star. With centuries in all three formats for the Men in Blue, the consistent young batter has nailed down his spot in all three formats for the time being.
Gill averages 51.68 in first-class cricket, 52.57 in List A cricket and 37.82 in T20 cricket. Interestingly, the latter two averages shoot up quite significantly when he plays for the national side, and his Test record is bound to improve with time and perhaps a move into the middle order.
Gill is certainly here to stay, and it would be a travesty if he doesn't become one of the greatest batters the country has ever seen.