IPL 2021: Devdutt Padikkal to Ravi Bishnoi - Young cricketers to watch out for in T20 league

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin on April 9 with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) taking on defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the tournament opener. 

With the new edition coming into play in a few days, the 14th edition will also see a few rising stars - especially from the news guys in the franchises. While some of these youngsters fizzle away after a season or two, there are others that find a way to make a cut into the international circuit.

One can give examples of the Pandya brothers - Hardik and Krunal - or Jasprit Bumrah and even Washington Sundar, the IPL has played a big role in polishing some of the talents for the Men in Blue.

So ahead of the new edition of the cash-rich league, a look at five youngsters who would be the talk of the nation.

Devdutt Padikkal (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

The young Karnataka lad had grabbed the attention of all in the IPL 2020 as he opened for RCB in the UAE. In the year 2021, he in the Vijay Hazare Trophy scored a whopping 737 runs in only seven innings at an average of 147.4 and strike rate of 95.96. He even scored four consecutive centuries. The 20-year-old left-handed batsman in the 13th edition of the IPL ended as RCB's highest run-getter. Captain Virat Kohli will be hoping for another good season from the young batsman. However, he would be missing the initial matches after testing positive for COVID-19.

Shahrukh Khan (Punjab Kings)

Punjab Kings owner Preity Zinta was seen being very happy after she purchased Tamil Nadu's power hitter Shahrukh Khan - keeping her friend, co-actor and Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) owner in mind. The young lad was picked for Rs 5.25 crore after he impressed in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021. His 19-ball 40* during the quarter-finals and seven-ball 18* in the final brought him into the limelight. As the Punjab unit lacked depth in the middle order as their all-rounders did not perform last year, the spot can now be filled by the 25-year-old. As for Shahrukh's cricketing career, he has played 31 T20s, scoring 293 runs at a strike rate of 131.39. He also can bowl leg-spin.

Abdul Samad (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Impressing all in the 2020 season, Jammu and Kashmir's 19-year-old Abdul Samad proved to be a flamboyant batsman as he has a strike rate of 147 in all T20 games he has played. Last year in the IPL, Samad batted at a strike rate of over 170 and even rose to prominence in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season as he performed well in all the tournaments. Last year, he hit Piyush Chawla for four sixes in a Vijay Hazare game at Jaipur.

Ravi Bishnoi (Punjab Kings)

The young lad was already the talk of the country after he had become the highest wicket-taker in the under-19 World Cup with 17 scalps. Ravi Bishnoi also impressed all in IPL 2020, picking up 12 wickets at an economy of 7.37. With the variety of bowling variations, the 20-year-old has become the Kings frontline bowlers. He was also part of the net bowlers for Team India in the series Down Under against Australia.

Chetan Sakariya (Rajasthan Royals)

Chetan Sakariya grabbed attention after impressing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2021. He was bought by the Royals for Rs. 1.20 crore after he was the sixth-highest wicket-taker in SMAT. The 23-year-old left-arm quick has played 16 T20s from which he has 28 wickets including a five-wicket haul. The Saurashtra bowler has an economy of 7.08 and his stats in the shortest format are likely to get him a place in the playing XI, more so because Jofra Archer is unavailable for the first few games.