IPL 2024: Top 5 young players to watch out for

IPL 2024: Top 5 young players to watch out for. Five youngsters to look out in IPL 2024.

IPL 2024: Sameer Rizvi was bought by CSK for INR 8.4 cr (Photo: ©CricCrazyJohns/Twitter)

One of the major talking points across the cricketing globe is the upcoming Indian Premier League 2024 that starts in less than a week. The defending champions Chennai Super Kings will take on their longtime rivals Royal Challengers Bangalore on the opening night in Chennai on March 22. As usual, there is a buzz surrounding the T20 extravaganza that coincides with the Indian summers.

IPL is special because it acts as a launching pad for many youngsters - from India and overseas. For nearly a decade and a half, we have seen many young players bursting onto the scene in the IPL and then going to establish themselves at the international stage.

This has become a ritual where we see plenty of inexperienced players make their mark in the IPL, season after season. So here are five India youngsters who possess enough talent to warrant a breakout IPL edition this season.

Sameer Rizvi (CSK)

The defending champions CSK’s newest recruit, Sameer Rizvi is touted as an exciting prospect because of his exploits in the domestic circuit. The 20-year-old from Uttar Pradesh is someone who can tonk the ball hard and is especially good against the spinners. This made CSK spend a whopping 8.40 crores INR to get his services. He is most likely to be slated in the team’s middle-order, potentially as a replacement for the now-retired Ambati Rayudu.

However, he isn’t overtly experienced at the senior level as Sameer has played just 11 T20 games scoring 295. But, he has shown a glimpse of his talent in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. In one of the games on a slow pitch against Tamil Nadu, that includes potent spinners like Sai Kishore, Varun Chakravarthy, and Sundar, the young batter scored a 46-ball 75. More recently, he struck a stunning triple ton for UP in Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy.

While Sameer may not be a certain starter in the playing XI for CSK, his hard-hatting capabilities coupled with his prowess against spin make him a compelling choice.

Read More: IPL Auction 2024: Rizvi, the right-handed Raina, gets the perfect platform to make it big

IPL 2024: DC bought Kumar Kushagra for INR 7.2 crorev(Photo:v©criccrazyjohns/Twitter)

Kumar Kushagra (DC)

Yet another youngster who impressed many IPL teams in the auction was the Jharkhand keeper batter, Kumar Kushagra. Like Rizvi, Kushagra is also a hard-hitting batter who displays a fearless attitude when it comes to batting. His performances in the domestic circuit caught the eye of Sourav Ganguly, mentor of Delhi Capitals. He was eventually snapped by the Capitals for an astounding 7.20 crores INR.

Coming into the IPL, Kushagra had a decent Ranji season where he amassed 333 runs in 8 innings. Moreover, he played a knock of 67 off mere 37 deliveries in a Vijay Hazare game for Jharkhand. Despite not having breathtaking T20 numbers (strike rate of 117 in 11 games), Kushagra’s raw talent makes him a must-watch young player in the coming IPL. He could very well be slotted in DC’s fragile middle-order. He can also take up the keeping role in case Rishabh Pant plays as a batter.

Read More: IPL Auction 2024: Jharkhand wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra's meteoric rise gets stamp of approval by DC

Suyash Sharma (KKR)

Suyash Sharma made his T20 debut directly in an IPL game for Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2023 season. His season personally was a mixed bag as he picked up 10 wickets in 11 games. But, he showed great composure throughout the campaign.

KKR used him as an impact player, and he bowled the crucial overs for the team which makes his returns even better (economy rate of 8.23) for a leg spinner. Suyash took a whopping 18 wickets in SMAT 2023 for Delhi at an incredible average of 7.22 in 7 innings and a further 10 wickets in the 4 Vijay Hazare trophy games.

The 20-year-old year spinner might be employed by KKR in the same capacity (Impact player) and his experience of playing in India’s domestic season in 2023/24 will hold him in good stead.

Riyan Parag (RR)

If there is a player on this list who has shown tremendous improvement since the last IPL, it must be the all-rounder, Riyan Parag. He can be termed as an IPL veteran having played for Rajasthan Royals since making his debut for them in 2019 but he is only 22 years old.

He was persisted by the team despite a not-so-great record (600 runs at 16.22) in the IPL and this is because of the exceptional talent he possesses. An example is his 2023/24 domestic record across the formats for his side, Assam. In SMAT, he smashed 510 runs in 10 innings to go with his 11 wickets with the ball. In the Ranji trophy, he started well scoring 378 runs in 6 innings before injury halted his progress.

Parag must play a key role in the Royals middle-order yet again but this time the expectations from him will be huge.

Read More: Riyan Parag in his own league: Emerges as highest run-scorer in SMAT 2023-24

Nehal Wadhera had a good IPL 2023 (Images: ©IPL/Twitter)

Nehal Wadhera (MI)

Nehal Wadhera made his IPL debut in the 2023 edition for MI and emerged as one of the best performers for the team. The 5-time champions had an inexperienced middle-order and Wadhera played a key role scoring 241 runs in 10 innings at an impressive strike rate of over 145.

His stocks only went up higher in the SMAT 2023 as he played a stellar role in Punjab’s clinching of the trophy by hammering a 27-ball 61 in the final. Despite the return of Hardik Pandya, one would hope that Wadhera retains his place in the starting XI for MI after a remarkable debut season.

Read More: IPL 2023: Mumbai Indians youngsters delivering the goods?