Upcoming Cricket Stars: Young talents from Kings 11 Punjab and Rajasthan Royals

Indian Premier League

Having had a look at the young players bought by 6 teams here (Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata knight Riders) and here (Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad), let us move on to the two other teams left in the league: Kings 11 Punjab and Rajasthan Royals.

Kings 11 Punjab:

Anureet Singh

Anureet Singh is a 26-year-old right-arm medium pacer. Playing for Railways in the Ranji Trophy, he has represented Kolkata Knight Riders previously. He made his First-class debut in 2008 against Karnataka. Having taken 116 wickets in 31 matches at an average of 26.74 in the domestic arena, Ranji trophy has been the perfect proving ground for him. He owes his success to his Railways coach Abhay Sharma. He had to work on his action and weight before getting selected for Ranji. With the ability to swing the ball and bowl at speeds of 135+, he is quite a handy package for a team with home pitches that provide good assistance to pace bowling.

Shardul Thakur and Karanveer Singh

The 22-year-old Shardul Thakur was born in Maharashtra. The fact that he has represented Mumbai in the Ranji trophy says a lot about this attacking right-arm medium pace bowler’s potential. He had to face a lot of criticism initially in his career for being overweight. Unfazed by it, he shed 12 kilos and has toiled hard to reach where he is today. His best is 4/48 in the Ranji Trophy. He is grateful to players like Zaheer Khan, Wasim Jaffer and Abhishek Nayar for helping him see through the initial setbacks.

Karanveer Singh is a 26-year-old Punjab boy. He has played for Chandigarh Lions and Punjab Under-19s. Primarily a leg-break bowler, he can bat a bit, as well.

Akshar Patel

Akshar Patel is an exciting all-rounder from Gujarat, who made his First-class debut in 2012. In so little time, he is scaling greater heights in his career. This 20-year-old was a part of Mumbai Indians in 2013. He scored an attacking 369 runs in 7 matches for Gujarat in Ranji Trophy 2013-14. And not just that, he was also successful in getting 29 wickets in the same tournament. He may just proved to be the X-factor for Kings 11 Punjab by bringing in the necessary balance.

Rajasthan Royals:

Ankush Bains

Ankush Bains

Ankush Bains is a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman. Representing Himachal Pradesh, he scored 450 runs in 4 matches besides effecting 17 dismissals in the Cooch Behar Trophy. His performance earned him a place in the India Under-19 team. Getting himself inked soon after the selection, Ankush believes that the tattoo will help him focus better. His knock of 134 in 84 balls in the quadrangular U-19 series made him a permanent member of the team. With his father backing him completely, Ankush is sure to make it to the bigger platform in the near future.

Ankit Sharma

Ankit Sharma plays for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. A left-arm orthodox bowler, the 22-year-old was a part of the now defunct Deccan Chargers set-up in the IPL 2012. He has 18 wickets in the 15 T20 matches at an economy rate of 7.12.

Amit Mishra

Looking at the scorecards, many confuse him for the Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra. The 22-year-old is a right-arm fast bowler and is a Kanpur-born representing Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. He made his mark when he picked up 7 wickets conceding only 59 runs against Rajasthan in Ranji Trophy.

The franchises have showed a lot of faith in the capability of these young players. Given a chance, these players from a modest background will surely rise up to their call of responsibility and prove their worth.