IPL 2022: 6 young Indian cricketers to watch out for
The best thing about the IPL is that it brings up a lot of hidden talent from domestic cricket. It is a platform where young Indian players get to play alongside international cricketers on a big stage. Not only does this improve a player's skills, it also helps in their overall development.
The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin and many others were first noticed because of their remarkable IPL performances. In this year’s IPL, some young Indian cricketers have been playing amazing cricket.
Here are six such players:
AYUSH BADONI (LSG)
The young Delhi boy has been in the limelight since his debut game where he scored 41 off 54 balls. In a match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), where the team was chasing a target of 210, Badoni hit a massive six over deep backward leg. The shot was widely appreciated by his team members including captain KL Rahul.
The 22-year-old was noticed by Gautam Gambhir during his domestic games. He was later picked at Rs 20 lakh by the Lucknow franchise.
An admirer of AB de Villiers, Badoni may turn out to be the next big thing in Indian cricket.
UMRAN MALIK (SRH)
The young fast pacer from Jammu has been very impressive this year. He was even applauded by former England cricket team captain Michael Vaughan, who said that the bowler might soon make it to the Indian team.
Malik was surprisingly retained by Hyderabad at Rs 4 crore ahead of auctions. This season, he has picked up three wickets in four matches so far. He has a good speed speed. In fact, he is the only Indian bowler in IPL who consistently bowls above 145 kmph, crossing 150 kmph at times.
He made his debut against KKR last year in the second leg of IPL. In the first over only, he was touching 146 kmph, making the batters nervous. Kane Williamson knew this was the bowler the team needed. Hence, Malik was retained.
SHIVAM DUBE (CSK)
The left-handed batter has been playing extremely well for CSK this year. In five matches, Dube has scored 207 runs at an average of 51.75 and a strike rate of 176.92. In fact, he is the only one after Robin Uthappa and Moeen Ali to have performed consistently for the team.
In the last match against RCB, he scored 95 off 46 balls, his highest so far, which helped the team score 216 in 20 overs. This led to CSK winning the first match of the season. Dube was picked at Rs 4 crore by the franchise.
SHUBMAN GILL (GT)
Shubman Gill has also been in great form this season. There was a reason he was picked ahead of the auctions, by the Gujarat Titans (GT) at Rs 8 crore. Witch the scores of 96 (59) and 84 (46), Gill in the four matches so far, has scored 187 runs at an average of 46.75 and at a strike rate of 159.83. If he stays in this form, Gujarat looks all set make it to the playoffs.
ABHISHEK SHARMA (SRH)
The Hyderabad cricketer, who hails from Amritsar in Punjab, was picked at a massive price of Rs 6.50 crore by the franchise. In the four matches so far, Sharma has scored 139 runs at an average of 34.75 and a strike rate of 176.92. In the third match against CSK, which the Hyderabad won, Sharma scored 75 off 50 balls. Though he has played in very few matches in IPL so far, he will be crucial for SRH this season.
AVESH KHAN (LSG)
He is another special talent that has emerged in IPL 2022. Avesh was picked at Rs 10 crore by the Lucknow franchise. In five matches so far this season, Khan has picket 8 wickets. His economy was 8.46. In a match against Hyderabad, Khan took his career best of 4 wickets in his spell of four overs while conceding just 24 runs. He will be a player to watch out for in this year’s IPL.