The most successful outcome of the prestigious Indian Premier League is its success in spotting young talent from across the globe and nurturing them till a point when they become star players at International cricket. These young talented yet under-rated cricketers are often a part of the dressing rooms, full of cricketers who have already established themselves in every format of the sport. Often these newcomers are shadowed and lost in all the glitter and hype of the other cricketers. Here we will talk about the new talents who have the potential to shine if they make it to the playing eleven of their respective teams this season.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
- Virat Singh: A young, dynamic, 22-year-old left-handed batsman- Virat Singh, was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2020 IPL Auction for a whopping ₹ 1.9 crores, which was nearly ten times his base price. Singh is a powerful hitter and is a fan of MS Dhoni. He is someone who has the capability to bat at number three and finish the game and has achieved this feat numerous times in white-ball cricket while representing Jharkhand. He delivered a notable performance in the last season of the domestic T20 tournament- Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he came out as the top scorer for Jharkhand with a strike rate of 142.32. Virat Singh this performance led to an intense bidding war between Sunrisers and Punjab, where he went to Sunrisers cart in the end. Now, this season is not less than a battlefield for the young sportsman where he needs to prove his might in the league, where the best of the world play with and against you.
- Abdul Samad: His description on the official website of IPL describes him as a big-hitting batsman from the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is a correct way to describe this 19-year-old player. He has already given a glimpse of his capabilities in the very first match that he played for SRH. But apart from hitting the ball out of the ground, this young cricketer can also bowl leg-spin, which is an added advantage to his cricket resume. He came into the limelight when he delivered 36 sixes alone in the Ranji Trophy while playing for his state Jammu and Kashmir. He performed extraordinarily well in the domestic tournament and went on to score 592 runs in just 17 innings with an eye-popping strike rate of 113. How could such a performance not come under the radar of talent-hungry IPL franchises? And thus, with the help of his J&K teammates and mentor Irfan Pathan, he was bought by SRH this season, where fans are already witnessing what quality he possesses.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
- Daniel Sams: An all-rounder from Australia, Sams is known for his deadly death-over bowling abilities as well as for the added advantage that he can do with the bat. But unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to perform well in the previous editions of the Indian Premier League, due to which he has been traded off to RCB from Delhi Capitals, in the very first trade of the season. Still, he is a player who possesses great talent and has had a good cricketing season in the latest edition of the Australian Big Bash League, where he took 30 wickets and won the Golden Arm Award of the tournament. He also performed well with the bat in the Australian league and scored runs with an average of 49.75 and a strike rate of 191. These figures and statistics prove that he is a player with good abilities. Now that he has been traded to RCB, he can be a good bowling option for the team that struggles in the death overs, and at the same time also scoring runs for the team in the lower-middle order.
- Finn Allen: If a league is all about hitting big, then how can Allen not be a part of it. Bought in as a replacement for Josh Philippe, Finn Allen is an attacking batsman from New Zealand who has recently achieved the feat of hitting the second fastest 50 for New Zealand. His records are exceptional in the 15 T20s that he has played, where he has scored a total of 554 runs including 6 fifties. The 22-year-old is set to play for the team led by Virat Kohli, and his probable batting position will be somewhere in the middle order since Kohli will be seen opening the innings this time. It’ll be interesting to see what new and exciting Finn brings to the side in his debut to the biggest cricketing league of the world, this summer.
