IPL 2020: 5 young debutants who could impress at the tournament
The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) gets closer day by day. The cricketing extravaganza is set to begin on 19th September in the United Arab Emirates. The tournament has been moved outside India owing to the current COVID-19 pandemic situation that has affected the entire world.
The IPL has always proven to be a platform for the emergence of young players, providing them the opportunity to showcase their talent on a big stage. Since the inception of the IPL in 2008, we have seen a lot of promising players rise to stardom for their franchise and then going on to play for their national teams.
In this article, we take a look at five such potential future stars who will be gunning to utilize their chance as they make their IPL debuts this season.
Five youngsters who will want to impress in their debut IPL season:
#1: Yashashvi Jaiswal (Rajasthan Royals)
Yashasvi Jaiswal was one of the most talked about youngsters heading into the IPL 2020 auction and was primed to bag a sizeable amount from the bidding. Eventually, it was IPL 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals who were able to get him for a whopping prize of INR 2.4 crore.
At the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 2020 held earlier this year, Jaiswal proved his mettle as he finished as the top-scoring batsman with 400 runs in six matches. He also won the 'Player of the Series' award for his performance at the tournament.
Jaiswal is the youngest cricketer to score a double hundred in List A cricket and possesses the ability to play attacking cricket, which is well suited for the T20 format. Besides, he can also bowl leg spin, which can come in handy.
With Rajasthan Royals going big for the youngster's services, Jaiswal will be hungry to prove himself and do well this year in the IPL.
#2: Ravi Bishnoi (Kings XI Punjab)
Ravi Bishnoi is the second name on our list. The young right-arm leg spinner will be playing for the Kings XI Punjab IPL franchise after they bought him for a sum of INR 2 Crore.
Bishnoi plays for Rajasthan in the domestic circuit and made his debut in the 2018-19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Owing to his impressive performances for the team, he was selected in India's U-19 squad for the 2020 World Cup.
The youngster impressed in the tournament as he finished as the leading wicket-taker, capping off with a four-wicket haul in India's loss in the final against Bangladesh.
Bishnoi joins the Kings XI Punjab side who have lost the services of talismanic spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. He will be aiming to make a mark alongside Mujeeb ur Rahman and potentially form a solid spin duo for the IPL franchise.
#3: Priyam Garg (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Priyam Garg was another sought-after youngster in the IPL 2020 auction before Sunrisers Hyderabad bought the player for INR 1.9 crore.
Garg is a right-handed middle-order batsman who made his domestic debut for Uttar Pradesh in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy. He ended up with a healthy tally of 814 runs in ten matches, finishing as the second-highest run-getter for the side after Rinku Singh (953 runs).
He was named India's captain for the ICC U-19 World Cup 2020 and ably led his side to the final, contributing with the bat whenever the team needed him to. Sunrisers Hyderabad can deploy Garg seamlessly in the middle order behind their fiery openers; he can come in at number three or four and make a mark.
#4: Kartik Tyagi (Rajasthan Royals)
Rajasthan Royals continue to be the torchbearers for backing youngsters in the IPL. The next name on our list - Kartik Tyagi - is another testament to the IPL franchise's penchant to go for young players. Tyagi was bought by the Royals for a hefty price tag of INR 1.3 crores.
Kartik Tyagi plays for Uttar Pradesh in the domestic circuit and has played for the team in the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Tyagi was one of the stars in India's bowling attack in the U-19 World Cup quarterfinal against Australia as he dismantled the top-order and ended up with a four-wicket haul. He has the ability to swing the ball both ways and delivers around at around 140kph, which could be a handy asset for the IPL franchise.
Alongside Jofra Acher, Royals can slot him in as an additional pace option to grab timely wickets. His ability to swing the ball might come in very handy in the IPL.
#5: Tom Banton (Kolkata Knight Riders)
The final name on the list is probably one of the most exciting cricketers to have hit the T20 circuit in the last couple of years - Tom Banton.
The 21-year-old England wicketkeeper-batsman was one of the hyped names in the IPL auction last year. However, it was a massive surprise when he went for his base price of INR 1 crore to Kolkata Knight Riders without any other IPL franchise seemingly interested in him.
Banton has the ability to play shots all around the ground like Mr. 360 AB de Villiers.
He scored a total of 223 runs in seven matches in his Big Bash League debut season for the Brisbane Heat, doing so at a stellar strike rate of 177. The youngster has only played three T20Is for England but has scored his runs at a superb strike rate of 164.70.
Banton, who provides Kolkata Knight Riders another fiery option to add to their arsenal of big hitters, will be hoping for an impressive IPL debut season.