 "Chahal")
In the summer of 2008, Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne was tasked with nurturing a young, sprightly kid called Ravindra Jadeja — minus the beard and the twirling moustache — who, only a couple of months earlier, had bedazzled the world with his showing in India’s title-winning Under-19 World Cup campaign in Malaysia. Warne likened the 19-year-old Gujarati boy to a rockstar — mighty impressed by his tenacity and confidence.
Jadeja excelled with both bat and ball in the Royals’ charge to the title in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) that year. In the international season that followed, Jadeja made his debut for the national team and has been an indispensable part of the Indian limited-overs team side since.
Jadeja, like many others later, was first noticed during IPL. Later, he went on to become the first Indian to notch up three first-class triple centuries — joining an elite list that includes Don Bradman and Wally Hammond. But had it not been for the T20 tournament, Jadeja’s talent might have been unearthed only much later. Ravichandran Ashwin, his future teammate at Chennai Super Kings, also made his way to the Indian team on the back of impressive performances wearing the yellow of Chennai.
IPL, despite the superstars it attracts, has almost every season thrown up amazingly talented young men, eager to impress. As the 2015 season slowly winds down, among the David Warners and Virat Kohlis, the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Pawan Negi and Sanju Samson have shown that they belong to the big stage and are genuine contenders for donning India’s blue shirt sometime in the future. Here is a look at the brightest young stars of the 2015 IPL season.
Delhi Daredevils
If somebody had asked you to name two Indian batsmen who could claim the Orange Cap — the title for the tournament’s top scorer — before IPL got under way this year, most people would have put their money on Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, or Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Yes, Kohli does feature on the list, but so does unheralded Shreyas Iyer.
Iyer, this season, has gone about his scoring with an uncluttered mind, a feature reminiscent of a man who used to bat in Iyer’s position for Delhi — a certain Virender Sehwag. Iyer was snapped up for ~2.6 crore in the 2015 auction, and it’s an amount well spent. Iyer has exhibited strong technique, and is unafraid to take risks. His knocks of 70 and 83 against Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, respectively, must have the selectors thinking.
IPL 2015: M 14; R 439 ; HS 83; SR 128.36
RANJI TROPHY 2014-15: M 10; R 809; HS 153; Avg 50.56; 100s 4; 50s 6
Chennai Super Kings
Comparisons with teammate Ravindra Jadeja may be a tad premature, but Pawan Negi has all the makings of a limited-overs cricket all-rounder. Negi, who has been representing Delhi for a few years now, was always known for his crafty left-arm spin bowling. But this season has seen the emergence of Negi the handy lower-order batsman.
While he has spun the ball prodigiously on slow turners at Chepauk, he has often bailed Chennai out of sticky situations with the bat. Such is Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s faith in his batting that he has sent the youngster ahead of Dwayne Bravo and Jadeja in the batting order. That faith was repaid in a game against Mumbai earlier this month, when Negi outdid his skipper with the bat, propelling Chennai to a formidable first innings total.
But the same game gave us a glimpse into his lack of inexperience. He gave away more than 20 runs in the penultimate over of the match, handing the game to Mumbai. A sole focus on his bowling will bolster his chances of making the Indian team. But a special talent indeed.
IPL 2015: M 8; R 101; HS 36; SR 162.90; W 6; Best 2/25; ER 8.51
RANJI TROPHY 2014-15: Did not play
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Leg spinners are such a dying breed that we fall in love with him even before we’ve seen him bowl. Yuzvendra Chahal is a delight to watch, even when he’s put to the sword by opposition batsmen. A bowler who likes to attack, Chahal has been one of Virat Kohli’s key men this year.
Not a prolific turner of the ball, Chahal’s subtle changes in pace have yielded him 21 wickets in IPL this year. Chahal — like all leg break bowlers — has the tendency to go for runs, but is also capable of picking up a bagful of wickets. Only behind Dwayne Bravo and Lasith Malinga in the race for the Purple Cap, Chahal enjoys a healthy strike rate of 12.26. With no genuine leg-spinner in the Indian squad at the moment, Chahal’s time may well have arrived.
IPL 2015: M 14; W 21; BB 3/40; ER 9.03
RANJI TROPHY 2014-15: M 2; W 2; BB 2/72; ER 4.25 5WI 0
Kings XI Punjab
In the last few years, we have seen the emergence of several new-ball swing bowlers — the top two being Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohit Sharma. Twenty-two-year-old Sandeep Sharma is the latest to join that list. After being released by Kings XI Punjab at the end of the 2013 season, Sharma was rehired by the Punjab outfit in the 2014 auction. And, it seems that they made a wise choice.
Sharma was one of the only bright spots for the Kings in an otherwise insipid campaign that saw the franchise at the bottom of the heap. A bowler who can move the ball at pace, Sharma's ability to hurry the batsman, as well as swing it both ways, makes him a difficult bowler to face. With 13 wickets, Sharma ended the season as his side’s second highest wicket-taker. In a country where fast bowling phenomenons are rare occurrences, a national call-up for Sharma may not be too far away.
IPL 2015: M 14; W 13; BB 4/25; ER 7.00
RANJI TROPHY 2014-15: M 7; W 28; BB 5/5; ER 2.62; 5WI 1
Rajasthan Royals
When Rahul Dravid calls somebody unbelievably talented, you better believe him. Samson was all of 18 when he caught the eye with a powerful, yet measured 41-ball 63 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2013 IPL season. While the current season has been a mixed affair for the Keralite, his quickfire 76 against Mumbai Indians was another reminder of his enormous potential — the highlight being a delightful six off Lasith Malinga.
Often lauded for his steady temperament, Samson is the kind of batsman who can easily fit into the Indian team. Adept at knocking the ball around and playing the big shots, Samson possesses an endearing mix of lazy elegance and powerful hitting. His ability to keep wickets makes him an asset for any team. Samson was picked in the Indian side for the tour of England last year, but failed to get a game. Hopefully, another opportunity is just around the corner.
IPL 2015: M 14; R 204; HS 76; SR 125.15
RANJI TROPHY 2014-15: M 8; R 475; HS 207; Avg 47.50; 100s 1; 50s 1
M: Matches
R: Runs
BB: Best bowling
W: Wickets
SR: Strike rate
HS: Highest
ER: Economy rate
5WI: Five wickets in an innings
All statistics updated till May 21
