The Indian Premier League has unearthed quite a few jewels for not just Indian Cricket, but International Cricket in general. Apart from being the money-spinning cash-rich league that the IPL is, it has also been a boon for youngsters as it has provided them with a realistic opportunity to actually brush shoulders with the best in the game.
While when you are picked up by an IPL side, it automatically means there’s no dearth of talent; it’s temperament, however, that makes you succeed in the high-profile, high-pressure atmosphere where the best in the business comprise the mix to battle it out for ultimately winning the silverware every year, since 2008, which is when the IPL was incepted.
A host of youngsters step up to the occasion every year and stun the fans and experts alike, with inspiring performances. Most of them either fail in the domestic season that follows and fade into oblivion, while another few of them continue to perform in the domestic circuit but cannot sustain or repeat the performance in the next edition of the league, as a result of which, they’re quickly forgotten. Paul Valthaty is an underlying example. He set one of the seasons on fire, scoring a swashbuckling century, only to fail miserably in the domestic season that followed, and gradually faded. Very few of them sustain their performances in the league over a few seasons and thus, leave an indelible mark on the scouts of BCCI.
Manish Pandey and Manan Vohra are two of the batsmen who have made a mark in the league. The talented Manoj Tiwary, lovingly known as Chhota Dada in Bengal’s circles of Cricket, has also performed reasonably well in the league. Sanju Samson had a great season with Rajasthan Royals, couldn’t sustain it, but is back this season, more focused and dedicated than ever. Jaspreet Bumrah is another India regular who’s a product of the IPL, first picked up by Mumbai Indians in 2013. Rishabh Pant, the talented wicket-keeper batsman from Delhi, is playing in his first IPL and has already made a statement.
Manish Pandey, along with Gautam Gambhir has been the Kolkata Knight Riders’ batting mainstay and has already amassed 221 off 4 games, with 3 fifties and a strike rate of more than 150. His average has been an unbelievable 221, which means he has got out only once, which is simply phenomenal. Manan Vohra, the Punjab batsman, has 174 runs off 5 games, at an average of 34.80 and an astounding strike rate of 165.71. Sanju Samson has 173 off 4 games at a strike rate of 146.61 and average of 43.25. Vohra’s knock last night was one of the most special, as he scored an attacking 95 on a wicket where no one else looked like scoring, not even Hashim Amla or Maxwell or Miller.
With the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the extravagant Yuvraj Singh arguably in the twilight of their respective careers, two important spots are up for grabs, and these youngsters are doing it absolutely right to make a strong case for themselves.
