3 players who were unlucky to miss out in India's squad for Men's T20 Emerging Asia Cup ft. Abhishek Porel
The BCCI on October 12, 2024, announced a 15-member squad for the Men's T20 Emerging Asia Cup. The eight-nation tournament will be held in Oman from October 18 to October 27.
Mumbai Indian batter Tilak Varma will lead a strong Indian team in the tournament. The squad includes many youngsters who have performed well in the domestic circuit and the IPL. India were the runners-up in the previous edition of the Men's T20 emerging Asia Cup 2023.
There are a few young players who missed the bus and failed to make it to the squad. Here's a look at three such players:
#1 Abhishek Porel
The 21-year-old keeper batter will consider himself unlucky not to be a part of the squad. Porel, who plays for Delhi Capitals in the IPL had a breakthrough season in 2024.
In 12 innings, Porel scored 327 runs at an average of 32.7 and an impressive strike rate of 159.51. He scored two half-centuries in IPL 2024. Overall, in 26 T20 innings, Porel has a strike rate of almost 150.
Porel was recently a part of the India C team in the Duleep Trophy and scored an impressive half-century (82) against India A. He has the talent and potential to score runs against the best of the bowlers as demonstrated in the IPL..
#2 Tanush Kotian
The 25-year-old talented all-rounder is one of the players to watch out for in the future. He played an instrumental role in Mumbai's success in the recently concluded Irani Cup and scored 64 and 114 and also picked up three wickets in the said game.
Kotian has been a consistent performer for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy and played a huge part in the win during the previous edition. He scored 502 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.83, including one century and five half-centuries. He also picked up 20 wickets.
In T20s, has picked up 24 wickets in as many matches and has an impressive economy rate of 6.07. He hasn't been able to create much of an impact with the bat and has a strike rate of 101.17 in 10 innings.
Kotian played a solitary game for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024. He's a handy all-rounder and has the potential to change the course of a game with his all-around skills and deserved a place in India's Men's T20 Emerging Asia Cup.
#3 Manav Suthar
Manav Suthar made his First Class debut in 2022 and has made an immediate impact on the domestic circuit. The all-rounder has bagged 77 wickets in 18 First Class matches and has also scored four half-centuries.
He picked up 10 wickets in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy. Suthar has played a handful of T20s (8) and has four wickets. He has an economy rate of 7.69, which is acceptable for a spinner in the shortest format. With the bat, he has a strike rate of 120 in four innings.
At 22, Suthar has made an impression across two domestic seasons and is going strong. A place in the Men's T20 Emerging Asia Cup would have been an icing on the cake for Suthar but it was not to be.