IPL 2019: 3 most impressive young Indian bowlers this season
IPL 2019 is nearing the playoff stage, with teams like Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals having already booked their seats to the next stage. It now seems like a three-way battle for the fourth and final spot, with RR, KKR and KXIP separated by just one point in the points table.
Several players have left their mark on this year's tournament, and the bowlers in particular have turned in quite a few match-turning performances. There have also been a few young Indian bowlers who have made their teams proud, and here we take a look at the three most impressive of them:
1. Shreyas Gopal (Rajasthan Royals)
The right-arm leg-break bowler from Karnataka has been excellent throughout the season for the Rajasthan Royals. He's taken 18 wickets from 13 games at an average of 18.
The recent rain-ridden game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore saw Gopal taking a hat-trick in the second over of the game. And the value of the hat-trick goes even higher when you look at the names of the three players that he scalped - Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Marcus Stoinis.
At just 25 years of age, Gopal stands third in the Purple Cap list at the moment.
2. Deepak Chahar (Chennai Super Kings)
With 16 wickets from 13 games, the young pacer from Uttar Pradesh has been pivotal in the successful journey of CSK this year. During the game against the Kolkata Knight Riders he bowled a mind-blowing 20 dot balls, which is an IPL record - the previous mark was held by Rashid Khan and Ankit Rajpoot, who delivered 18 dot balls each.
Chahar has been a handful at the start of each innings, and there would be a lot of responsibility on the 26-year-old's shoulders as CSK try to win their 4th IPL crown.
3. Khaleel Ahmed (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
With 14 wickets from just 7 games, the lanky left arm pacer from Rajasthan has impressed everyone with his excellent variations this season. He took 3/32 against the Mumbai Indians, 3/40 against the Kings XI Punjab and 3/33 against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Khaleel's bowling average of 16 is among the top four bowling averages this season. He takes a wicket once every 12 balls, which is also the third best strike rate for a bowler in this edition of the IPL.
Khaleel may be just 21, but he is already showing skills that would make any veteran proud.