Top 5 contenders for the IPL Young Player of the Season award
As the 8th edition of the Indian Premier League is drawing to a close, we analyse the contenders for the best young player of the season award for this year. As it’s been the case over the years, so many young players have been impressing and making use of the perfect platform that’s been presented to them. The criteria for the award is that the youngster should have been born on or after the 1st of April 1989 and shouldn’t have played more than 5 Tests for his national side. Also he should have played less than 25 IPL matches before the start of the tournament. Here are the 5 players who could potentially win the award this season:
5. Ishwar Pandey
With an excellent bowling average of just 20 and an economy of just over 7, Ishwar Pandey has done a great job for the Chennai Super Kings in this year’s IPL. He has kept the experienced senior pro Irfan Pathan out of the line up with his consistent performances.
He has picked up 11 wickets so far in the 10 matches and is definitely in contention for the award in case CSK go all the way this time.
4. Hardik Pandya
He has been a late bloomer, but he stuck big when it mattered the most! He is a bowling all-rounder, but uses the long handle to great effect. Chepauk has often been described as CSK’s fortress and this season it was no different as teams found it very tough to adapt to the slow conditions.
MI experienced the same fate and were about to lose the game comfortably when this man stepped in and hit some lusty blows out of nowhere to give his side a shocking victory. And then in another must-win game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, his side were struggling at 79 for 4, but he stitched up a partnership with Pollard and managed to outscore him pretty easily ending up with another match-winning effort (60* off 31 balls).