Spectacular Performances by Young Indian Cricketers in IPL 2024 Shaking up the Cricket World

IPL 2024 is in its last leg this season and the IPL 2024 has lived up to its reputation of being the best T20 Franchise league in the world. 

While the World witnessed some brilliant skills in display during the last 2 months, the whole purpose of the Indian Premier League is to unearth young Indian talent and fast track their cricketing careers. 

IPL has given us talents like Jaspreet Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Rishab Pant who are today main stays in the Indian Team. 

So, Who are the Young Indian Cricketers who have been standouts this season and may have opened the doors for a future Indian selection. 

Abhishek Sharma Shining Bright

Abhishek Sharma has been knocking the India Senior door in the last few seasons of the IPL but 2024 season has seen this south playing to his full potential.

Former England Captain Michael Vaughan has also tipped Abhishek Sharma break into India’s sides in all three formats of the game.

Abhishek has been SRH star opener giving the team some great starts and, in most matches, SRH has outbattled its opposition thanks to the starts the south paw has provided. SRH has made it to top 2 in the playoffs. 

In 13 matches, Abhishek has scored 467 runs at an average of 38.92 and a strike-rate of 209.41. Abhishek has also hit 41 sixes which is the highest this season. 

Rituraj Gaikwad’s Remarkable Run

Ruturaj has been phenomenal with the bat this season. He is second to Virat Kohli in the Orange Cap standings with 583 runs in 13 matches at an average of 58.30. with a strike rate of 149.49. He has scored a century and three fifties, with 108* being his best score.

Having given the additional responsibility of captaincy, his batting has not got effected with the pressures of captaining one of the most successful franchises in IPL history. 

Rituraj unfortunately missed out on the 15-member squad to the T20 World Cup. But with the impending retirement of the two senior players after the world Cup may likely open the opportunity for this talented player. 

Nitesh Reddy – A Rising All-Rounder

SRH unearthed another gem in their playing eleven by including a 20 year old player from Andhra Pradesh who is a genuine fast bowling allrounder. He will be a good choice for team India who are currently struggling to have a replacement to Hardik Pandya. 

Nitish Reddy is a raw talent and is getting great mentorship from the Australian Captain which is doing a world of good for the youngster. 

Nitish Reddy can bat in the top 6 and can bowl decent medium pace bowling , a rarety in today’s Indian cricket. 

Reddy has made 276 runs in 10 games (average 46, strike rate 151.64) including two half-centuries. 

Reddy went unnoticed in his debut season in 2023, with nothing to write home about but 2024, Reddy was sent as No.4 in a surprise move to preserve Heinrich Klaasen for the latter overs. A masterful 64 followed and the youngster has not looked back since then. 

Ashutosh Sharma’s Explosive Impact

Not many in modern cricket have been successful in playing the long handle from ball one coming late in the innings. Ashutosh Sharma was the surprise player for Punjab Kings, who has done exceptionally well as a finisher for the Punjab Kings.

Ashutosh Sharma reinvented his career as a six-hitting machine. In 18 T20 innings, he has hit 43 sixes; that’s an average of 2.38 sixes per game. 

If not retained by his franchise, Ashutosh Sharma will be a player who every franchise will want in their team having similar ability like Rinku Singh. 

Mayank Yadav-The Fast-Bowling Sensation

Mayank Yadav’s maiden IPL was cut short by injury in the middle of the IPL campaign. 

Mayank Yadav’s Rockets fired at the batsman has made the whole world react on this impressive fast bowler from Lucknow Super Giants.

Yadav only bowled 12 overs before his injury and in these 12 overs he impressed all and was also being discussed if he can be fast tracked to play for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup. 

The lean bowler has unleased delivers well over 150 kph.

Mayank Yadav delivered the fastest delivery of the season of 156.7kph against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

BCCI has shown confidence onnthe youngster and has already given him a fast-bowling contract.

If Mayank can manage his fitness, he can be a mainstay in all formats of the game. 

Conclusion

With the u19 tournaments and a world-class platform like the IPL,  youngsters are getting exposed to cricket at the highest level. 

IPL teams are not afraid to invest on youngsters, especially the Indian domestic players. 

Every season, the IPL season has unearthed few talented, uncapped player. 

While some players cashed on their IPL success to put a foot on the door into the Indian selection mindspace, some players were not as fortunate and would need to wait for the next cricket season to impress with their skills.