IPL 2020: Five Emerging cricketers who impressed the most
The Indian Premier League is renowned for giving young talents a platform to showcase their abilities. It is never easy to perform in such a high-profile tournament in the initial years of one’s career. However, these emerging talents were able to soak in the pressure and demonstrate their skills against the best in the business.
5. Ruturaj Gaikwad
3️⃣rd consecutive 5️⃣0️⃣ for Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Being patient with him has paid dividends for Chennai.#CSKvKXIP #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/kRFUOpb99V— 100MB (@100MasterBlastr) November 1, 2020
Opening batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad was purchased by Chennai Super Kings for his base price of 20 lakh in the 2019 Auctions. However, he did not get a game for the men in yellow last season. He scored 204 runs in 6 innings at an average of 51 and a strike-rate of 120.74 this year. He bagged 3 consecutive Man of the Match awards in the last group stage matches for Chennai Super Kings for his half-centuries at the top of the order. The most appreciable thing about him this season was that he fought COVID-19 and performed for his side after getting an opportunity to bat at his preferred position, that is opening.
4. Abdul Samad
Jammu & Kashmir all-rounder Abdul Samad was purchased by Sunrisers Hyderabad for the base price of 20 lakh ahead of this edition of the IPL. The 19 year-old was highly destructive with the bat in the limited opportunities he received. He scored 110 runs at an average of 22 and a strike-rate of 170.77. One of his most notable performances includes – 33 off 16 balls against Delhi in Qualifier-2, stitching a partnership of 57 runs with Kane Williamson and keeping Hyderabad in the contest. Apart from this, he also scored a couple of quick-fire 20s lower down the order for the men in orange.
3. Ravi Bishnoi
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi was the highest wicket-taker of the 2020 U-19 Cricket World Cup. He was purchased by Kings XI Punjab for 2 crores in the 2020 Auctions. He impressed critics, taking 12 wickets in 14 games at an economy rate of 7.37 runs per over. Along with Murugan Ashwin, he used to stem the flow of runs in the middle-overs, thereby forming a lethal pair. His best performance came against Sunrisers Hyderabad when he returned with figures of 3/29 in 3 overs- taking the wickets of Warner, Bairstow and Samad.
2. Arshdeep Singh
Left-arm Punjab pacer Arshdeep Singh was purchased by Kings XI at the base price of 20 lakh. He made his debut in 2019 and played 3 games that season. He took 9 wickets in 8 games this season at an economy rate of 8.78. He bowled many tough overs and took the wickets of reputed cricketers like Andre Russell and Rohit Sharma. His best performance came against Sunrisers Hyderabad- 3/23 in 3.5 overs. It came while defending 126, which is not a mean feat.
1. Devdutt Padikkal
It was a ‘breakthrough season’ for Devdutt Padikkal and he was deservingly named ‘Emerging Player of IPL 2020’.? ????
It’s only onwards and upwards from here on champ!#PlayBold #IPL2020 #WeAreChallengers #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/fw6S6jXZ9o
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) November 11, 2020
Karnataka youngster Devdutt Padikkal was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore for his base price of 20 lakh in the auctions. However, he didn’t get a game last season. After being the top-scorer in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, he impressed Mike Hesson and Virat Kohli. The southpaw opened with Australian captain Aaron Finch for the majority of the season, and he even overshadowed him in the partnership with his performances. He scored 473 runs in 15 innings at a strike-rate of 124.80, with five 50+ scores- the best being 74 vs Mumbai at Abu Dhabi.
