The 14th IPL Edition is just three weeks away. It is due to start on 9 March, but there are only five venues allocated. Players would continue to stay in the Bio Bubble, and home advantage would be lost to a few teams, including the Mumbai Indians. The BCCI has allotted five centers where the virus is under some control and a possibility of 50 % attendance.
IPL has a horde of prizes to give away at the end of the tournament, and one of them is the ‘ Best Emerging Player of the Tournament. In the past, the youngsters who have walked away with this coveted recognition have boosted themselves to new heights, but a few have failed despite the take-off. The ones who have succeeded in the past are Rishab Pant, Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Mustafizur Rahman, and Sanju Samson. The other half continues to play IPl but is not able to make it to International Cricket.
The current IPL has some new exciting names, and kheltalk.com has narrowed down the list on who could be the best emerging player of the top 5 Contenders.
As you may know, there are specific rules to be complied with by the player to get into the reckoning.
The rules are:
- D-O-B after 1 April 1994.
- They should have played five or fewer Test matches or 20 or fewer ODIs.
- Should have played in 25 or fewer IPL matches (as of the start of the season)
- Should have not previously won the Emerging Player Award.
Here is the countdown to the ‘Best Emerging Player of IPL 2021’.
5. Ravi Bishnoi:
Age- 20
Skill- Right Arm leg- breaks Bowler
IPL Team – Punjab Kings
Ravi Bishnoi is all set to play his second IPL Tournament after his excellent outing in the UAE.
Advantages:
• He would bowl on Indian pitches, which would assist in spin
• His well-disguised Googly is his weapon.
Disadvantages:
• He cannot contribute with the bat
• Smaller grounds would not suit his bowling
Performance Statistics:
| Ravi Bishnoi -Bowling | Innings | Runs conceded | Wickets | Best | AVG | Economy | SR |
| T 20-International | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| ODI- International | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| T20- Domestic | 27 | 675 | 29 | 4/15 | 23.27 | 6.75 | 20.6 |
| IPL Records | 14 | 376 | 12 | 3/29 | 31.33 | 7.37 | 120 |
| LIST A | 11 | 576 | 16 | 3/49 | 36 | 5.55 | 38.88 |
4. Sharukh Khan:
Age– 25
Skill- Right-handed Middle-order batsman
IPL Team – Punjab Kings
Sharukh Khan is all set to play his First IPL Tournament after his excellent outing with the State team, Tamil Nadu.
Advantages:
• His height. Long reach to hit the ball
• His long strides make him a good runner between wickets.
Disadvantages:
• He may get limited chances to prove himself
• He has to score from the first ball he faces
•Lack of International exposure
The gutsy gentle giant stands tall at 6.4 ft; a middle-order batsman from Tamilnadu was one of the hot picks for 5.25 Crores by Punjab Kings. Sharukh is s powerful hitter and has a wealth of experience playing in the domestic circuit. He is best suited to play in the ‘ death overs’ since his strength is his high strike rate and aggressive running between wickets. Sharukh may get his chances if he scores big. He may be sent up the order. Definitely a contender but has the least possibilities.
Performance Statistics:
| Sharukh Khan-Batsman | Innings | Runs | Best | AVG | STRIKE Rate | |
| T 20-International | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| T-20 Domestic | 23 | 293 | 40 | 18.31 | 131.39 | |
| ODI- International | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| Odi- Domestic | 13 | 341 | 69 | 42.62 | 119.23 | |
| IPL Records | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| First Class | 9 | 231 | 92 | 33 | 51,91 | |
Priyam Garg is s dependable batsman and performed in the limited chances given to him. He has performed well in the domestic circuit, and his strike rate has been on the higher side.
3. Ruturaj Gaikwad
Age: 24
Skill: Right-hand middle-order batsman
IPL Team: Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Advantages:
• Good temperament and orthodox batsman, capable of finding the gaps
•Good Fields- man in the deep
Disadvantages:
•Poor in the judgment of running between wickets. Ruturaj Gaikwad is s compact batsman who debuted for CSK in the UAE. In the limited chances, he got on the second half of the tournament. His batting is stylish and, at times, gets aggressive too. He can be credited with the ‘Come-Back ‘of CSK in the second half of the league rounds. IPL 2021 would witness him playing more matches in the top order.
Performance Statistics:
| Ruturaj Gaikwad – Batting | Innings | Runs | Best | AVG | STRIKE Rate |
| T 20-International | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| T-20 Domestic | 39 | 1141 | 82 | 33.55 | 130.69 |
| ODI- International | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| List- A | 58 | 2681 | 187 | 47.87 | 97.59 |
| IPL Records | 6 | 204 | 72 | 51 | 120.7 |
| First Class | 36 | 1349 | 129 | 38.54 | 50.84 |
2. Priyam Garg
Age: 20
Skill: Right-hand middle order
IPL team: Sun Risers Hyderabad (SRH)
Advantages:
• Capable of hitting big shots
• Can be relied upon down the order in the death – overs.
Disadvantage:
• May not get enough chances to bat in a power-packed batting line- up like SRH
Performance Statistics:
| Priyam Garg- Batting | Innings | Runs | Best | AVG | STRIKE Rate |
| T 20-International | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| T-20 Domestic | 24 | 417 | 59 | 19.85 | 119.14 |
| ODI- International | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Odi- Domestic | 26 | 993 | 120 | 43.17 | 94.39 |
| IPL Records | 10 | 133 | 51 | 14.78 | 119.82 |
| First Class | 16 | 867 | 206 | 66.69 | 58.03 |
1. Jhye Richardson:
Age: 24
Skill: Pace/ lower-order batsman
IPL team: Punjab Kings
Advantages:
• Youth at 24 with International exposure
• He can handle challenging situations
• He can bat and field. Never a liability
• Power-packed performance in the BBL.
• International exposure is adequate
• Capable of pushing the speed gun above 150kph often
Disadvantages:
• Injury-prone over the past two years with a threatening shoulder tear
• Has not bowled in Indian pitches, which are not pace tracks like in Australia
• It’s a new team he is playing for, and he has to adjust to his teammates fast
An Australian fast bowler came into the limelight with his match-winning performance in the recently concluded BBL final, where he was awarded the MoM playing for Perth Scorchers. He is 24 years of age and considered a bowling all-rounder. He has played only in two tests for his country and has bagged six wickets at an economy rate of 2.41.
He has featured in 13 ODI’S and scalped 24 wickets at an economy rate of 5.85.
In the T20’s he has accounted for 13 wickets in 14 outings with an economy rate of 8.52.
His strike rate in batting has been reasonable, but the scores minimal.
It’s his BBL performances that have stood him in good stead. He is ranked 3rd among bowlers and 11th among All-Rounders.
All IPL franchises have noticed these performances, and the bidding was nothing short of a frenzy to nab the leading wicket-taker in the BBL, and it was the Punjab Kings who succeeded at last. He was purchased for a whopping ₹14 Crores as per kheltalk.com, becomes the number one contender.
Performance Statistics:
| Jhye Richardson Bowling | Innings | Runs conceded | Wickets | Best | AVG | Economy | SR |
| T 20-International | 14 | 426 | 13 | 2/31 | 32.76 | 8.52 | 23 |
| ODI- International | 13 | 690 | 24 | 4/26 | 28.75 | 5.84 | 29.5 |
| T20- Domestic | 67 | 1922 | 82 | 4/19 | 23.43 | 7.92 | 17.7 |
| IPL Records | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| First Class | 31 | 1591 | 67 | 8/47 | 23.74 | 2.72 | 52.3 |
