Every season, the IPL unearths a number of mercurial, young cricketing talents onto the cricketing world’s stage. And it won’t be any different this time around either- if not at an even more prominent level- as the 10-team format will allow a lot of budding cricketers to prove their mettle at the top T20 tournament of the world.
There’s a lot that fans would be expecting out of these young guns; especially when we consider that several of these players have a strong likelihood to feature into their franchise’s starting XIs. So in this article, we’ll be previewing some of the most exciting young players who will be featuring in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League.
Dewald Brevis, Mumbai Indians
Young ‘Baby AB’ Brewis, as he’s being touted by the fans, is in line to make his IPL debut with five-time champions Mumbai Indians. And it looks like his role in the team wouldn’t just be restricted to a few cameo matches here and there; as MI’s batting unit this year seems to be somewhat thin on pedigreed batting names. So there is a good likelihood that Brewis- known for his abilities of fearless stroke-making- could get a string of chances to feature in the MI batting order at numbers 3 or 4.
Yash Dhull, Delhi Capitals
Delhi clearly has a thing going for acquiring U-19 World Cup winning captains in their lineup. Their purchase of Yash Dhull in the 2022 auctions was a clear testament to that ideology. Dhull’s style of batting seems to possess just the right mix of technique and power, which could see him leapfrog his fellow Indian candidates for the number 5-6 spot in DC’s new-look batting roster. Under the tutelage of captain Rishabh Pant and coach Ricky Ponting, there’s a strong likelihood that Dhull develops into a fierce finisher for the Capitals this year.
Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Chennai Super Kings
The Chennai Super Kings aren’t usually known to take a punt on young and burgeoning players; so the fact that they bid aggressively for Raj Hangargekar in the mega auctions clearly means something. And given the situation CSK presently find themselves in, Hangargekar could be a straight swap for the injured Deepak Chahar in their lineup. And should he be thrust into the team, Hangargekar will take solace in the fact that assuming Chahar’s role will essentially be a like-for-like skillset match for his best skillsets: bowling with the new ball and hitting sixes lower down the order. It would do him a world of good to play under MS Dhoni and be groomed into an important all-rounder role.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Gujarat Titans
20-year-old Afghan ‘keeper-bat Rahman Gurbaz heads into the IPL as an eleventh-hour replacement for Jason Roy. But the explosive power and talent that brings onto the table might just help him shed off that ‘replacement’ tag, and establish himself as a big name in the IPL. Gurbaz is well-known for his mercurial pyrotechnics as an opener, and the secondary glovesman role that he plays is likely to fetch him a good deal of opportunities for the Titans this season. There is definitely quite a bit of potential with Gurbaz, and should he be groomed properly, GT might have landed themselves a good player for the future.
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Raj Bawa, Punjab Kings
Bawa’s player-of-the-match winning fifer in the U-19 final from last month has lent him a good reputation as a player to watch out for. What’s more, Bawa might actually get quite a few opportunities to play in the IPL in his maiden season itself; as the Punjab Kings would be looking to round-off their power-packed batting lineup with a gun all-rounder at the number 7 position.
And Bawa with his ability to bowl quality medium pace and smack the ball a fair distance- might just be the perfect fit for that role. It will be really exciting to see Bawa add to Punjab’s exciting flavor with his spicy and aggresive brand of cricket.