Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s that time of the year again! The IPL has finally taken the centre-stage and it seems that the UAE is all set to host the marquee event. The last time UAE hosted the tournament was in 2014 when BCCI had to be shift overseas owing to the Lok Sabha election. More often than not, the buzz is more so in the months of April and May when the tournament usually kicks in. But as they say, extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures!
Earlier this week, ICC, in an official statement, announced the postponement of ICC World Cup 2020 later this year. As a result, BCCI got the September-November window that they had been vying for long to organize the 13th edition of the T20 league. According to the latest updates, IPL 2020 will take place in the UAE between 26th September to 8th November 2020.
Every year before the tournament commences, there is a lot of buzz over the uncapped players and the young-guns who’ll be embarking on this glamorous journey for the very first time. And this year is no different! However, there’s no denying the fact that this edition will be different on so many levels compared to the previous editions, for obvious reasons. Yet, the hype over the T20 league is already palpable.
We bring out to you the 5 uncapped players to watch out for in IPL 2020:
1. Nitish Rana – Kolkata Night Riders:
The Delhi-based aggressive batsman has proved his mettle on so many occasions, particularly in the IPL. Not only has he won a number of matches for KKR, but has produced some exciting cameos for his ex-franchisee Mumbai Indians too.
With the Indian T20 squad looking for a solid yet belligerent middle-order batsman, it will be a wonderful opportunity for Rana to manifest his consistency to get the elusive ticket for the Indian National Team.
2. Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai Indians)
Just like Nitish Rana, Suryakumar Yadav too has got a lot of potential. Even when his side comprises of some of the stalwarts of the game like Rohit Sharma, Keiron Pollard, Quinton de Kock to name a few, Yadav has still stood out owing to his consistency in the shorter format.
His adaptability to bat at different positions ranging from 1 to 6 is another reason why he’s certainly one amongst the few players that need to be watched out for.
3. Devdutt Padikkal (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
All set to play his debut IPL season, this Karnataka-born lad has impressed one and all with his heroics in the domestic circuit. The 19-year old Padikkal will be roaring to announce his arrival in the RCB squad and will be sharing dressing-room with none other than the Indian skipper – Virat Kohli.
However, a lot of players in the past, with so much of buzz around them before the start of IPL, have performed miserably when it matters the most and therefore, it will be really interesting to see if this talented youngster will be able to match-up with the expectations as has been set by his fans.
4. Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rajasthan Royals)
Yet another teenager in the list, this 17-year old youngster recently took the ICC U-19 World Cup 2020 by storm. In the 6 matches that he played, the flamboyant opener smashed 4 half-centuries to go with a splendid 100 against Pakistan.
Touted as someone who has a bright future in the senior Indian Cricket team, Yashasvi Jaiswal was bagged by the Rajasthan Royals for the latest edition of IPL at a whopping ₹ 2.4 crores.
5. Priyam Garg (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
The skipper of the Indian U-19 Cricket Team Priyam Garg; that made it to the finals of the ICC U-19 World Cup 2020 was lauded for his leadership skills that saw the team win all the matches of the tournament barring the one in final.
Recently, the Sunrisers Hyderabad forked out ₹ 1.9 crores in order to rope in this youngster who has already set the bars very high owing to the expectations that he carries with himself. Thus, he will be one of the few uncapped players to watch out for in IPL 2020.