The Indian Premier League (IPL) gives many young players opportunities to make money and display their talents. This was not the case a decade ago, when there was no IPL. Having eight teams each restricted to four foreign players in the playing 11 means that there are at least 56 Indians who get a chance to show their abilities in each match. This sort of opportunity was not available to young Indian cricketers before. Many of the players in IPL are the sons of men and women who are in ordinary jobs and not well-off, such as autorickshaw drivers and so on. These players are the first in their family ever to move into another social class.
It is good that young men from such backgrounds get exposed to fame and money, and play with legends from abroad and India. It will give confidence to many others who know them or know of them through their fame.
Top young players
Every IPL season throws up young talents, some of whom have lived up to their potential and made it all the way to the top. IPL Season 10 saw the likes of Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana and Rashid Khan, Pandya brothers etc grab the spotlight.
Rishabh Pant
The Delhi youngster followed up a good season in domestic cricket with a superb show in IPL-10. His amazing 97 from 43 balls for the Delhi Daredevils against the Gujarat Lions was rated by the great Sachin Tendulkar as one of the best innings he has seen in all 10 IPL seasons. The 20 year old started off the IPL season with a personal tragedy - his father passed away a couple of days before the first match. After performing the last rites, Rishabh returned to play and top scored with a 36-ball 57 in his first game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Though Delhi were beaten, the wicket-keeper batsman won everyone's hearts. Rishabh was close to being selected for the ICC Champions Trophy, but the selectors kept faith with Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He is a standby for the Champions Trophy, and it won't be long before we see him getting the national call. Rishabh finished the IPL season with 366 runs from 14 games at a strike rate of 165. He also took eight catches and effected three stumpings.
Rahul Tripathi
Rising Pune Supergiants' impressive turnaround in the second half of IPL 10 was made largely possible because of his batting. With 353 runs in 10 games, the 26 year old is the only cricketer in IPL-10's top 10 batsmen to have not played international cricket. His strike rate of 152 is second only to Robin Uthappa (167) in the top run getters, but ahead of big names like David Warner, Suresh Raina and Steve Smith. Rahul played a memorable innings at the Eden Gardens when he destroyed the Kolkata Knight Riders' bowling attack en-route to 93 in 52 balls, laced with 9 fours and 7 sixes.
Rashid Khan
Before the season began, few would have predicted that the best spinner in this year's IPL would come from a non-Test playing nation. The first Afghan player to feature in an IPL game, Rashid is a darling of crowds everywhere. The Sunrisers Hyderabad leg-spinner played a starring role in the do-or-die game against the Gujarat Lions where he took 3/34 to help his team progress to the play-offs. The 18 year old finished fifth in the wicket-taking list in the league stages with 17 wickets in 13 games. His economy rate - 6.67 - is the best among the top 10 bowers in IPL-10.
Nitish Rana
He may have not found favour with the Delhi selectors, but Nitish proved his worth and more for the Mumbai Indians. Dropped from the Delhi team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy before the IPL, the 23-year-old left-hander made the No 3 slot his own at Mumbai with three fifties in his first six knocks in IPL-10, including a 29-ball half-century against the Kolkata Knight Riders which saw Mumbai steal victory from the jaws of defeat. He hit 53 against the Gujarat Lions and a quickfire 62 against the Kings XI Punjab helping his team chase down big totals in big games. In 13 games in the league stages, Nitish scored 333 runs at an average of 30 with a strike rate of 126.
Sanju Samson
It's been Sanju's season of resurrection. His career nearly hit a roadblock after he was issued a showcause notice by the Kerala Cricket Association in December after he left the dressing room in the middle of a Ranji Trophy game. After Sanju said sorry, he was let off and has since concentrated on getting his career back on track. The 22 year old has been a revelation for the Delhi Daredevils, scoring 386 runs in 13 games, including a century and two fifties. Opening the innings, he hit a smashing 61 from 31 balls as he helped Delhi chase down a massive 209 against the Gujarat Lions.
Basil Thampi
The 23-year-old Kerala fast bowler grabbed everyone's attention with his ability to bowl consistently at a good pace - 140-plus kph. Sending yorkers at will, Basil claimed some big scalps in his first IPL - Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, Mahendra Singh Dhoni among others. The Gujarat Lions pacer was one of the net bowlers for the Indian team during the series against Australia earlier this year. Basil was one bright spot in an otherwise disappointing Gujarat campaign, with 11 wickets in 12 games.
Shreyas Iyer
After missing the first couple of games because of chickenpox, Shreyas made a quiet start before hitting an unbeaten half-century against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. After failing to make most of the starts in the next few games, the 22 year old hit a stunning 96 in 57 balls, laced with 15 fours and two sixes, which helped the Delhi Daredevils win a thrilling run chase. In 11 games, Shreyas scored 306 runs at a good strike rate of 143.
Sandeep Sharma
Just 23, but Sandeep is an IPL veteran. This is his fifth season and he continues to be a consistent performer in an inconsistent side. He returned with 17 wickets in 13 games this IPL to add to his 15, 13, 18 and 8 in earlier seasons. His ability to swing the ball makes him a potent weapon, especially at the Kings XI Punjab's home ground in Mohali.
Axar Patel
Axar must consider himself unlucky not to make the Indian team for the Champions Trophy. The 23-year-old all-rounder starred with both bat and ball for the Kings XI Punjab. The left-hander scored 227 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 140 while picking 15 wickets at an economy rate of 7.5.
Mohammed Siraj
An autorickshaw driver's son, the 23-year-old Hyderabad fast bowler was picked by the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the IPL auction. Siraj - 10 wickets in six IPL games - had a good domestic season, which saw him get picked for the Rest of India and India 'A' teams. In a must-win game for the Sunrisers against the Gujarat Lions, Siraj came through with flying colours, taking 4/32 to win his first man of the match award and guide his team into the play-offs.
Hardik and Krunal Pandya
The Pandya brothers – Hardik and Krunal – who play for Mumbai Indians this season, are enroute to stardom, at least in the Indian Premier League. If they continue their good form, they will surely replace the other brother duo of Yusuf and Irfan Pathan and become the new poster boys of Indian cricket from Vadodara. Younger brother Hardik Pandya's pyrotechnics against KKR saw him notch up a 23-ball 29 to anchor his team to a win. Then it was the turn of elder brother Krunal, who played a lovely cameo as his 37 off 20 balls was largely instrumental in Mumbai Indians knocking off a tricky target of 159 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 12. Well, with both brothers in good nick in IPL 10, the duo have decided to buy a new house in Andheri's posh locality, Versova to ensure that their family enjoys their stay in the city during their home games. The MI won the IPL trophy because of Krunal who scored 47 runs when Mumbai Indians were struggling at 79 for 7.
