Even after these tough times of the global pandemic Covid-19 and multiple doubts over the future of sports there was a huge uproar amongst all the people across the globe when the BCCI finally decided to host the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in U.A.E. from September 19, 2020. The fans were looking forward to it like never before as there was hardly any sort of entertainment and enthusiasm for competitive sports during these past 6 months.
As we all know, the main focus of IPL is the identification of new and exciting young talents all over India for the future of Indian cricket so that they can bring honours to the nation. Like every year, this year too there were several debutants who represented their respected franchises and showed huge potential to become the next big superstars in the world of cricket.
Here let’s take a look at the players from India who debuted and took center-stage during IPL 2020:
Devdutt Padikkal (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
A great young talent who represented the India U-19 team, is a classy batsman who was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at his base price of Rs. 20 lakhs. He debuted against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and turned out to be a steal as he performed exceptionally well giving good starts to his franchise regularly. Padikkal scored a total of 473 runs in the tournament at an average of 31.53 and played an instrumental role in helping his team reach the playoffs. He was in fact declared the winner of the prestigious Emerging Player award and people can expect to see him in the National Team in the near future.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (Chennai Super Kings)
Just like Padikkal, Gaikwad was prolific in Indian domestic cricket’s previous season and was bought by CSK at his base price of Rs. 20 lakhs. He debuted against Rajasthan Royals. However, things did not go according to plan for the youngster. He was dismissed for 0 of 5 balls in his debut match after which he was dropped. He returned later towards the end of the tournament and in his last three innings he showed why he is so highly-rated in Indian domestic circles as he notched up three successive fifties. Gaikwad scored a total of 204 runs in six innings at an average of 51. In CKS’s worst season, Gaikwad was one of the positives for the side and was highly impressive.
Yashaswi Jaiswal (Rajasthan Royals)
Bought for a huge amount of Rs 2.4 crore at the IPL auction teenage sensation, Yashaswi Jaiswal, who was also the Man of The Tournament during India’s Under 19 World Cup 2020 campaign, debuted in the IPL against the mighty Chennai Super Kings. Even after a poor run of form and being left out of the squad for most of the tournament he oozes class as a batsman who has huge potential and a bright future ahead of him.
Ravi Bishnoi (Kings XI Punjab)
Another rising Indian sensation, Ravi Bishnoi debuted in this year’s IPL. He was the most impactful player in the bowling department during India’s under-19 World Cup campaign with his leg-spin and unplayable googlies. Bought for Rs 2 crore at the IPL auction, Bishnoi debuted against Delhi Capitals and picked up Rishabh Pant as his maiden wicket. He had a fairly good tournament picking up 12 wickets with best figures of 3/29 and was also nominated for the Emerging Player Award. He too has the potential and talent to represent India in the future.
Priyam Garg (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
The Captain of the Indian under-19 team who were the Runner’s Up in the ICC under-19 World Cup 2020, was bought for Rs 1.9 crore at the IPL auction. He debuted against Royal Challengers Bangalore. A middle-order batsman with an amazing range of classic cricketing shots and also known for his coolness at the middle, Garg has the caliber to finish off games. He scored a total of 133 runs in 10 innings with the highest score of 51. Even though Garg could not demonstrate his full potential, he is another young prospect to look out for in the future.
Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Another amazing find of the 2018 U19 World Cup-winning team, the fiery pace bowler was bought by KKR way back in 2018 for Rs 3.2 crore. However, he was very unfortunate to not make a mark in IPL because of several injury woes. He debuted in IPL 2020 against SRH and seemed to be getting better after each and every game. Even though Nagarkoti could only manage five wickets in nine innings, his true potential will be demonstrated once he gets more games under his belt.
Kartik Tyagi (Rajasthan Royals)
Bowling action similar to that of the Legendary Brett Lee, Tyagi is one for the future with a brilliant control of seam bowling which he displayed during the ICC U-19 World Cup earlier this year. Bought for Rs 1.3 crore, he debuted in IPL against Mumbai Indians. Even though, his numbers weren’t that great during the IPL – nine wickets at a strike rate of 25.4 and an economy rate of 9.6 – but there were signs as far as a promising future was concerned.
