IPL 2018: 5 Indian stars who may rule world cricket 5 years from now

#4 Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer can soon cement his position in the national squad

When the Delhi team management made Shreyas Iyer the captain of the franchise after Gautam Gambhir stepped down post five defeats from six games, they could not have demanded an overnight change of fortunes for the side.

It was, as Gambhir said, not a measure of damage control, but an outside chance that he wanted to give the incoming skipper to script any fairytale for them to still make the playoffs.

Iyer, who could not help Delhi make the playoffs, nor save them from an embarrassing wooden spoon finish, did show a lot of promise both with the bat and as a leader as Delhi won four out of their remaining seven games.

The 23-year-old Mumbaikar, who was Emerging Player of the Year in IPL 2017, led from the front with 411 runs at an average of 37.36 and a strike rate of 12.58. His best of 93* against KKR came in his debut as DD captain and justified the trust shown in him.

A stylish stroke maker, the right-handed top-order batsman is a bright prospect as far as Indian cricket is concerned, something he has shown in the limited opportunities he has got at the international level.

If he can continue his rich vein of form with the bat, take any opportunities that come his way with both hands and also help Delhi climb the points table in the coming years, there is little doubt that he will be one of the mainstays of the Indian middle order in the years to come.