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#3 Abdul Samad
You know you are a talented all-rounder when a cricketer of Irfan Pathan's stature urges IPL franchises to pick you in the auction. This is exactly what happened to young Abdul Samad, who caught the eye of the 36-year-old while playing for Jammu and Kashmir.
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Listening to Pathan's advice, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) snapped up Samad in the IPL 2020 auction for 20 lakhs, which was his base price. However, it proved to be a real bargain buy as the youngster went on to become a key part of SRH's lower middle-order.
Although he bagged just 111 runs in the 12 matches that he played in IPL 2020, each and every run was impactful as Samad scored at a blistering strike-rate of 170.76. He played a couple of incredible cameos and proved that despite being young, he belonged in the IPL.
Although the 19-year-old is still not the finished product, he has all the talent in the world to become one of the most fearsome hitters in the IPL. He is also handy with his leg-spin and can chip in with a few overs.
If SRH back him to bat a little higher up the order and if he gets to face more deliveries, Samad can set the stage on fire in the IPL 2021 season.
#4 Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket for Maharashtra. However, his breakthrough season happened in the 2019-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he finished the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer. The 23-year-old scored 419 runs from 11 matches at a healthy average of 41.90 with an impressive strike-rate of 146.50.
These numbers were enough for him to be retained by the three-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the 2020 season. However, he had the worst possible start to last year's tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.
After Gaikwad recovered, he couldn't score runs in the middle-order or while opening the batting. After three innings, in which he scored a total of just five runs, Gaikwad was dropped from CSK's playing XI.
The 23-year-old got a chance towards the end of the IPL 2020 league phase when CSK had lost all the hope of making it to the playoffs. However, he turned out to be a shining light in what was a dull season for CSK.
Gaikwad scored three consecutive fifties at the top of the order and ended the IPL 2020 season on a high. He scored 204 runs in 6 games at a fabulous average of 51.
With Shane Watson retiring, Gaikwad is likely to get a full season at the top of the order for CSK. If he can maintain the consistency that he showed towards the end of last season, the sky could be the limit for the 23-year-old.
#5 Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh was able to give KXIP the option of having a left-arm seamer in IPL 2020. He improved last year from his performance in IPL 2019, where he picked up three wickets from as many games.
Bowling was the biggest problem for KL Rahul's men faced last year, as they had a topsy-turvy season. Losing six of their first seven games, KXIP went on to win their next five on the trot.
Although they couldn't make it to the playoffs, Arshdeep Singh showed the potential to become a reliable bowling option for KXIP. He picked up 9 wickets in the 8 games at an economy of 8.77.
The 21-year-old is having a fine 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Punjab. He has picked up 10 wickets from 6 games so far at a brilliant economy of 6.21. Singh has been instrumental in Punjab's run to the semifinal of the tournament.
If Arshdeep Singh is able to maintain his sizzling form, he can be a huge asset to KXIP and can stamp his authority on IPL 2021.
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