3 youngsters who could be the emerging player of IPL 2023

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will start today. The season opener will be played between 4-time champions Chennai Super Kings and the defending champions Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The IPL has been a great platform for youngsters to showcase their skills against the biggest names in the T20 format. The 'Emerging Player' is awarded every season to a standout young player who fits the following criteria:

• Should be less than 25 years old
• Played less than 5 Tests, 20 ODIs & 25 IPL matches
• Should not have won the award before

We look at 3 potential contenders for the award this season.

---

#1 Tilak Varma

Hyderabad southpaw Tilak Varma was a positive for the Mumbai Indians in the 2022 IPL season. The 20-year-old had an impressive overall season, scoring 397 runs in 14 innings at an average of 36.07 and a strike rate of 131.02.

His best output was as a number 4 batter. He showed the ability to anchor the innings at a healthy strike rate and rescue the team in case of a top-order collapse. Varma also performed well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), scoring 297 runs in 6 innings at an average of 49.50 and a strike rate of 136.23.

---

#2 Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal is arguably among the most talented young batters in the country. The left-handed batter has had a splendid start to his IPL career, scoring 547 runs in 23 matches at an average of 23.78 and a strike rate of 134.73. The 21-year-old batter's intent has been the standout aspect of his game.

Opening with Jos Buttler means he will pick up small things from one of the best T20 batters in the world. The presence of such a big player will also reduce the pressure on him and allow him to approach the innings freely. He was also in good form in the SMAT last season, scoring 266 runs in 9 innings at an average of 33 and a strike rate of 141 in Mumbai's title-winning run.

---

#3 Rajvardhan Hangargekar

Rajvardhan Hangargekar was a part of India's U-19 World Cup-winning campaign in 2022 and has since been earmarked as a special all-round talent. CSK signed the Maharashtra all-rounder for ₹1.5 crores at the IPL mega auction ahead of the 2022 IPL season. However, he did not play in any games but was still retained ahead of this season.

In the absence of Mukesh Choudhary, there is a high chance of Hangargekar making his debut this year. He will add to the batting depth, a strategy CSK have followed over the years. The presence of an experienced Deepak Chahar will also allow CSK to experiment and give the youngster a long run.