Getting started: Youngest players in IPL 2020
The IPL has often been an event providing spotlight to talented youngsters across the globe. Just like every season, the 2020 edition is also set to witness a couple of teenage players who will be aiming to showcase their talent. Rajasthan Royals has been the team with the youngest players as they picked up players from the recent Under-19 World Cup. The 2020 IPL will witness four players aged 18 out of which three belong to the Royals.
(The ages mentioned below are as of 21st August 2020)
5. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman – 19 years, 146 days
Mujeeb-ur-Rahman will be the youngest overseas player to be a part of IPL 2020. The Afghanistan spinner already has two seasons of experience in the tournament. He made his debut playing for the Kings XI Punjab in 2018 and became the youngest player in the history of IPL at that time. In the current situation, match practice is going to be hard to get before the tournament but the off-spinner is warming up by playing the Caribbean Premier League.
4. Abdul Samad – 18 years, 298 days
Abdul Samad will be turning 19 in a couple of months but has created enough ripples in the Indian domestic circuit with his hard-hitting skills. He smashed two centuries during the Ranji Trophy in the previous season, both of them coming off just 67 and 63 balls respectively. During his 128-run knock against Jharkhand, Samad smashed 11 sixes including a couple of them against Indian internationals. Samad was picked by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the auction for the 2020 season at his base price of 20 lakhs INR.
3. Riyan Parag – 18 years, 285 days
Riyan Parag became a household name in the 2019 IPL where he played some attractive knocks for the Rajasthan Royals. It included his maiden fifty coming at the age of 17 years and 175 days. He thus became the first player to score an IPL fifty before turning 18. Riyan, who hails from a family of sports personalities, has soon become a crucial player for his domestic team, Assam. Riyan will be turning 19 on November 10th, the date which will witness the IPL 2020 final.
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal – 18 years, 237 days
Yashasvi Jaiswal was in the limelight during the U19 World Cup earlier this year where he finished as the leading run-getter and won the Player of the Tournament award. However, Jaiswal was in the news before that for his double century in the domestic 50-over competition and the struggles he went through to reach the big stage. He was bought by the Rajasthan Royals for 2.4 crores INR during the auction held even before the U19 CWC. Jaiswal will be the 2nd youngest player to be part of this year’s IPL.
1. Akash Singh – 18 years, 117 days
Rajasthan’s Akash Singh will be the youngest player to feature in IPL 2020. The left-arm pacer turned 18 earlier this April and missed out a chance of becoming an IPL player at the age of 17. Akash was picked by his home franchise Rajasthan Royals in the auction at his base price of 20 lakhs INR. He was part of India’s squad for the U19 CWC earlier this year. Akash bagged seven wickets during the tournament which included a 3-wicket haul in the quarter-final against Australia.
