IPL 2018: Five young Indian players to watch out for
The IPL is a fantastic amalgamation of experience and youth. Young Indian players who are beginning their careers get to play alongside some of the greatest players to have ever played the game.
This has resulted in India producing a fantastic batch of limited overs cricketers, like Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Hardik Pandya who were all first selected off the back of strong IPL performances. These players have gone on to excel for India at the highest level.
This begs the question of who will be the next crop of players to play for India after good IPL stints. Therefore, this article looks at five young uncapped Indian players to watch out for in the upcoming IPL.
#5 Manjot Kalra
The Delhi Daredevils bought 19-year-old Manjot Kalra for 20 lakhs in the IPL Auction. Rightly so, given his incredible performances in the U-19 World Cup for India.
He was named in the team of the tournament as an opener and turned heads with his 101* in the final against Australia. This ultimately led to India chasing down their total and lifting the trophy. With scores of 47 and 86 against Pakistan and Australia (the latter in the groups), Kalra proved to be a key cog in India's success.
Kalra is yet to play any first-class matches or domestic T20 tournaments and this could be his breakout opportunity. He will be playing alongside international stars like Jason Roy and Glenn Maxwell and could learn a lot from them. Kalra may initially struggle to get a spot in the team, but if he gets the opportunity to play, he will be a player worth looking out for.