IPL 2020: The Debutants XI

Indian Premier League gives opportunities to many fresh faces to showcase their talent at a platform that is witnessed by the whole world.

Over the years, we have seen many cricketers who've created an impression in their debut season and have become an asset for their team. Players like Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Mike Hussey, Jofra Archer, Mohit Sharma, Ben Stokes, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and many others made an impact early on after their arrival.

Here is a look at the 11 of those players who are yet to kick-off their IPL careers. The foreign players have been selected on the basis of their overall record in the shortest format whereas the domestic contenders on the back of their recent T20 form, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019/20, or their potential to become future superstars in the most popular T20 league in the world.

#1 Tom Banton

England have been consistently generating ferocious opening batsmen in the past few years and Tom Banton is one of them. The modern-day opening batsman drew everybody's attention in the last season of T20 Blast, the domestic T20 tournament in England, where he finished as the second-highest run-getter with 549 runs from 13 matches at a strike-rate of over 160. He scored a match-winning century and 4 fifties in his journey with Somerset.

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The 21-year-old cricketer was truly recognised this year and has been a part of many T20 leagues around the globe. Bagged by Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL for INR 1 crores, Banton is set to make his debut in the biggest T20 league in the world and it will be interesting to see how KKR slot him in with packed overseas spots with considering the presence of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, and Eoin Morgan in the team.

#2 Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal marked his arrival in the last domestic season and has performed extraordinarily to be considered as the next big thing already. In October last year, the 18-year-old cricketer gained the spotlight after becoming the youngest cricketer in the world to smash a List A double century. For his heroics, Jaiswal has been named in the ICC U-19 World Cup squad to be held in South Africa later this month.

Rajasthan Royals roped him in for INR 2.4 crores after defeating Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders in the bidding war.

#3 Devdutt Padikkal

Padikkal warmed the bench during IPL 2019

Devdutt Padikkal is the latest addition to the list of Indian batting prodigies who can make it big in the future. The 19-year-old ended up as the leading run-scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, tallying 580 runs in 12 games including a match-winning 122 off 60 balls against Andhra Pradesh. Over the course of the tournament, he slammed 33 sixes which was also the highest in the tournament.

Royals Challengers Bangalore acquired the Karnataka opener at his base price of INR 20 lakhs ahead of IPL 2019. The young gun is expected to strengthen RCB's Indian batting group and we might witness his fireworks in the 2020 edition.

#4 Alex Carey

Can Carey mark his arrival with big runs?

The Australian wicket-keeper batsman came into limelight through the Big Bash League 2017/18 season where he, playing for Adelaide Strikers, finished as the second-highest run-scorer with 443 runs from 11 matches. His heroics have rewarded him a place in the Australian national side in white-ball cricket, which he grabbed with both hands and cemented the spot.

Alex Carey is an opening batsman by nature, but bats in the lower middle-order as Australia had their opening slots fixed already. In the ongoing Big Bash League, the southpaw leads his side and bats at 4 to strengthen their middle-order and shows flexibility which is a blessing for any captain.

The 28-year-old has been picked by the Delhi-based franchise for INR 2.40 crores, who will be featuring in the IPL for the first time and is likely to make a positive impression when the opportunity comes.

#5 Priyam Garg

He will lead India U-19 team at the world cup

The Uttar Pradesh cricketer kicked off his domestic career in the 2018/19 season and played all forms of cricket in the season. Priyam Garg gained everybody's attention when he was named the captain of India's U-19 team to travel South Africa for the world cup later this month.

The 19-year-old is a promising batsman and he has displayed that in his short career of 11 T20s by scoring 227 runs at a strike-rate of 132. Sunrisers Hyderabad bagged him in the IPL 2020 auction for INR 1.9 crores after a short tussle against Kings XI Punjab.

#6 Virat Singh

Can Virat showcase his talent in IPL 2020?

Virat Singh is a talented young cricketer who plays for Jharkhand in the domestic set up. He is a left-handed batsman and a handy leg-spinner who can give a few overs for the captain. In a career of 56 T20s, the southpaw has scored over 1500 runs, striking at 124 with a top score of 81. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 19/20, the 22-year-old score 343 runs at an average of 57, which included 3 fifties.

The batting all-rounder was acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 1.9 crores and is expected to provide cushion to the Indian batters - Manish Pandey and Vijay Shankar, who are the first choice middle-order batsmen in the side.

#7 Chris Green

Chris Green is an Australian off-spinner who is also a handy batter. He has gained a fair bit of T20 experience in a short time period by playing all around the globe. He represents Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League. The 26-year-old finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the Global Canada T20 tournament.

Green is known to slow down the flow of runs with his accurate spin bowling. He is not a big turner of the ball, but a slightly peculiar action and variations in pace make it difficult for the batsman to slog him out of the park. In a career of 81 matches, Green has picked 65 wickets at a miserly economy of 6.76. In addition to that, he has also scored 506 runs and contributed lower down the order on numerous occasions for his side.

Kolkata Knight Riders gained his services at his base price of INR 20 lakhs. While he is currently serving a 3-month bowling for an illegal action, Chris Green will still be a handy addition to the KKR setup.

#8 Kamlesh Nagarkoti

Nagarkoti was acquired by KKR for INR 3.2 crores ahead of IPL 2018

A teenager running and hitting the deck hard, at a pace of 140 km/h consistently was a rarity in India until a couple of years ago, when the duo of Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi busted the myth at the ICC U-19 World Cup 2018.

The small-town boy from Barmer, Rajasthan, Nagarkoti was roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹3.2 crores but has been unfortunate to miss a couple of seasons due to injury.

The speedster is set to make a comeback and will look to make the best of the opportunity to be nurtured in a competitive environment with the likes of Aussie spearhead Pat Cummins in the squad.

#9 Darshan Nalkande

Nalkande warmed the bench for KXIP in IPL 2019

The right-arm fast bowler plays for Vidarbha in the Indian domestic set up. Darshan Nalkande had tasted success in this season's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scalping 16 wickets from just 6 matches. In the process, the 21-year-old also picked up a five-wicket hall against Uttar Pradesh, thereby helping his side bundle them for just 60 runs.

Kings XI Punjab got hold of him ahead of the 2019 season and he might play a vital role in supporting Mohammed Shami and the overseas seamers. In the dearth of Indian options, Nalkande has an opportunity to make his mark early in his IPL career.

#10 R. Sai Kishore

Sai Kishore will be a backup to Ravindra Jadeja Enter caption

Sai Kishore is a Tamil Nadu cricketer who made his debut in the domestic circuit in 2017. He bowls left-arm spin and caught everyone's attention with his consistency in all forms of cricket. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20, the 23-year-old bowler finished as the leading wicket-taker with 20 scalps from 12 matches with a jaw-dropping economy rate of 4.64.

Chennai Super Kings acquired his services at the base price of INR 20 lakhs in this year's auction. CSK 's home conditions assist the spinners and Sai Kishore might turn out to be a valuable asset to them.

#11 Sheldon Cottrell

The West Indian left-arm pacer has been in red hot form since his return to the national side. He has been swinging the new ball prodigiously and regularly picking early wickets for his side. Furthermore, Sheldon Cottrell has been impressive at the death as well with his subtle variations.

The 30-year-old impressed many with his World Cup performance, and he has continued his strong run on the recent tour to India. In a long T20 career, Cottrell has picked 117 wickets from 83 games at an economy rate of 7.46.

Kings XI Punjab has acquired him for a massive price of INR 8.5 crores to be a part of their IPL 2020 team.