Top 5 young Indian players to watch out for in IPL 2021

IPL 2021, which is the 14th edition of the tournament, is set to begin on April 9 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The opening fixture is between MI and RCB.

The Indian Premier League, over the years, has become a solid platform for young cricketers to showcase their talent. So many players, across the cricketing globe, have earned their national call-ups after doing well in the IPL.

RCB’s 20-year-old opener Padikkal grabbed attention last year with his consistent performances for his side. He finished as their leading run-scorer with 473 runs in 15 games at 31.53. He is coming into IPL 2021 with an excellent domestic season, having scored 737 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, including 4 tons in a row.

After bagging the most wickets at the U-19 World Cup (17), Bishnoi finished with 12 wickets for Punjab Kings in IPL 2020. Only Shami picked more wickets than 20-year-old Bishnoi for Punjab last season. The 20-year-old is expected to once again trouble the batsmen with his variations, especially since he has the guidance of Anil Kumble and Wasim Jaffer.

Shahrukh Khan made headlines when he was bought by Punjab Kings for INR 5.5 crore at the auction. He is known as the finisher in the domestic circuit with smart-hitting potential. While he is able to hot those big shots, he can also bowl a couple of overs and that makes him a promising all-round option. He has 103 wickets in just 31 T20 games so far in his career.

With Shane Watson retiring, all eyes will be on Gaikwad as he is expected to open with Faf du Plessis for CSK in the IPL 2021. After bagging a duck in his maiden IPL game, Gaikwad went on to score three fifties in a row, becoming the first uncapped Indian player to score three 50s on the trot in IPL history. With 1,141 runs in 39 T20 games, he averages 33.55 with the bat.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) young star has a strike rate of almost 147 in T20s, while he averages over 35. The 19-year-old batter, who made his IPL debut in 2020, managed to score only 111 runs in 12 games. But his maiden IPl season in 2020 was inclusive of a few cameos, where Samad had a strike rate of approximately 171 in the UAE. SRH would hope that the youngster lives up to his reputation of being a big hitter who can clear the boundary with ease.