5 young Indian cricketers to watch out for in IPL 7

The swashbuckling, firecracking, highspending, paparazzi attracting tournament of Indian cricket is back and is about to enter its seventh edition in the coming week. The Indian Premier League has faced several challenges of late with the India Cements controversy and thus has been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the past few months.But the flipside of cricket’s most watched T20 league in the world tells you the story of the Ravichandran Ashwins, the Ravindra Jadejas and the David Milers who took their first steps up the ladder courtesy of this very event. Thus for the unearthed cricketing talent, the competition serves as a launchpad for towering success given the opportunity is grabbed with both hands.As a testimony to this fact, uncapped players have been one of the major talking points of the pre season build up as they were included in the auctioning process for the first time by the BCCI. It became evident how much franchises value uncapped players when Rajasthan Royals Kings XI Punjab retained set examples by retaining their uncapped performers. Given their prudence in the previous seasons, both the uncapped players Rishi Dhawan and Karn Sharma also earned themselves mindboggling contracts.In lieu with the same, we look at five amongst several promising Indian uncapped players who could do the same in the upcoming season of Indian cricket’s most followed extravaganza.

#5 Vijay Zol (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Maharashtra’s run to the final of the Ranji Trophy this season was built upon strong performances from their batting order. The youngest of that lot was India’s Under19 captain Vijay Zol, who managed 553 runs at 46.08 including an unbeaten double ton on debut.

The lefthander first shot to prominence with a monumental 451 in a Cooch Behar Under-19 game in 2011. Aside from junior cricket, his impressive CV includes a century on first-class debut - against an international attack. Zol was fast-tracked into the India A side before his Maharashtra debut. Against a New Zealand A attack that included Mark Gillespie and Doug Bracewell, he smashed 19 fours in his 110.

But things got terribly derailed when his side were knocked out of the Under19 world cup in a close finish against England, following which the skipper also suffered a one-match ban for improper conduct. However, the Jalna colt very recently set up Maharashtra’s win against Mumbai in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy encounter.Playing under the leadership of a former captain of an Indian U19 team at RCB, who is now the considered the future of Indian cricket, Zol will be a part of a batting order cajoled with several heavyweights. He must be patient for his turn and bank in on the break whenever it arrives

#4 Baba Aparajith (Chennai Super Kings)

One of the stars of the Unmukt Chand-led Under19 World Cup winning side, Baba Aparajith has continued to impress ever since. The 19-year-old has had a memorable season for Tamil Nadu ending up with 584 runs at an average of 58.4. Apart from this, he also piled up a handsome double hundred on his Duleep Trophy debut in October last year. The Chennai-born lad also drew priase with his performances during the India A vs West Indies A series that followed.

The right hand batter can also bowl his regular offbreaks. He has grabbed 18 wickets at 24.83 in his 18-match List A career. Although he is yet to make a difference with the ball in the Ranji Trophy, the rising colt accentuated in one of his interviews in 2013 that he aims to cultivate himself as a genuine allrounder.

The top-order batsman had been a part of the two-time IPL winners Chennai Superkings dressing room last year too, but failed to break into the playing XI. With the absence of the likes of S Badrinath in the squad, he will be hoping to ride on the back of his recent shows in the South Zone matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to earn himself a place in Dhonis plans.

https://twitter.com/aparajithbaba/statuses/454504661488123904

#3 Kuldeep Yadav (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Almost a fortnight ago, Uttar Pradesh was facing Vidarbha in the opener of the Central Zone matches for the Mushtaque Ali Trophy T20 Cricket Tournament in Nagpur. Chasing 204, the hosts came all guns blazing against the UP bowling attack.

In came a short chinaman bowler towards the halftime in the innings and strangled his hold on the batsmen. He ended with figures of 2 for 29 in his four overs and his team eventually won by nine runs. Not many would have guessed that it was the 19-year-old’s debut match. The Kanpur lad finished his journey in the tournament with 8 wickets in four matches at an astonishing economy of 4.44.

The unique kind of a bowler attracted instant attention with his hattrick against Scotland in the 2014 Under19 World Cup played in UAE. He ended up being the tournament’s joint second highest wicket taker.With almost 70 percent of the IPL matches too to be played on similar sorts of wickets, KKR have the potential of spinning webs around batting orders with the services of Kuldeep along with Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla and Shakib Al Hasan.

#2 L Rahul (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

To the ones keeping a track of the Indian domestic circuit, this individual needs no introduction. For the rest, Lokesh Rahul was the second highest scorer of the latest Ranji season and a mighty pillar in Karnataka’s treble-winning domestic campaign. He aggregated 1033 runs at an average of 68.86, including 7 scores of fifty and above, in the competition.

The 21-year old first earned limelight by scoring 276 runs at an average of 55.20 in five matches in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy in 2008-09. The top-order batsman’s 93* in the final of ACC Emerging Teams Cup ensured India’s comfortable victory over Pakistan last year.

In the presence of Naman Ojha in the Hyderabad Sunrisers squad, Rahul will be the second choice to keep wickets. But given his touch with the bat, he could well be given a nod in the playing XI during the long itinerary of the league.

#1 Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals)

The 19-year-old is the youngest amongst all the 24 players to be retained by their respective franchisees for the next edition of the Indian Premier League. Although the Kerela lad contributed just one half century in his last IPL campaign with the Rajasthan Royals, it was his flamboyant show in the Champion League T20, later in 2013, where he demonstrated his prowess with the bat along with his decent glovework behind the stumps. He elegantly struck his way to three 50s including a blistering knock in the final, unfortunately ending on the losing side.

Sanju Samson, who had built a reputation for himself in his early teenage days in Kerela, was first picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012. But he was later informed of being axed when the franchisees were ordered by the board to trim their squads.

However, he was soon spotted by Rahul Dravid and snapped up by the Rajasthan club. It was no looking back for the hard hitting youngster as he notched up impressive performances since his IPL stint.

A century in the final to ensure Indias Under 19 Asia Cup victory was followed by three fifties in an unfortunate run at the Under 19 World Cup earlier this year. He also ended up being the highest scorer for Kerela in the 2013/14 Ranji Trophy season, including a pivotal 211 against Assam.

Samson certainly possesses all the makings of a top player, subjected to his approach in the coming years. Already a relatively established player for them, Rajasthan Royals will be expecting crucial contributions from Indias last Under 19 vice captain having trusted him by retaining his services.

https://twitter.com/IamSanjuSamson/statuses/454442721894100993