IPL 2020: 5 cricketers who can become prized assets for their respective teams this season

The Indian Premier League has provided us with many talented cricketers over the years. And the competition among players to get into a team's XI is very stiff; factors like age and fitness often come into play.

To keep themselves in the hunt, IPL cricketers have to adapt, improvise, add new skills to their arsenal and outplay their rivals or even teammates. We've seen many players who struggled to find a place in the team initially, but went on to become mainstays for their franchises after working on their skills.

Players like Chris Gayle, Mike Hussey, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and Jos Buttler took quite some time to find their feet in the tournament.

On the flip side, we have also witnessed some players like Unmukt Chand, Praveen Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, Sudeep Tyagi, Paul Valthaty and Manvinder Bisla losing their spots after failing to adapt.

On that note, let us look at five players who have the potential to become the cornerstone of their respective teams by raising their game a notch or two:

#5 Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill has been a part of Kolkata Knight Riders for the last two years. He was bagged by them at INR 1.8 crore, which was nine times his base price.

Although Gill has been a regular feature in their playing XI, he has got limited opportunities to bat long - coming as he mostly does at No. 6 or No. 7.

Since KKR have discarded two of their routine top-order batsmen - Chris Lynn and Robin Uthappa - they need someone to partner Sunil Narine at the top. The Punjab batsman, having been a genuine opener throughout his professional career, is the top choice to take up the role.

IPL 2020 can be the season where Gill converts the 20s and 30s into big runs, taking full advantage of a higher batting position.