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Five uncapped players to watch out for in IPL 2020

We are just a few days away from one of the most awaited sports events, the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League in the UAE. While all eyes will be on cricket giants like MS Dhoni, Pat Cummins, Virat Kohli and many more. Most of them will be getting back into action after a long gap, this season will also open doors for many exciting young players who are waiting to kick start their career. 

In this article, we will take a look at some uncapped players from the upcoming season:

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Jaiswal took everybody by storm when he made headlines last year. The 19 year old became the leading scorer in the U19 World Cup squad in the 2020 edition. The lad received big bids from IPL giants such as Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals. The Royals emerged victorious in snatching the youngster for INR 2.4 Crores. With Ajinkya Rahane traded off to Delhi Capitals, Jaiswal may find himself batting alongside Jos Buttler who is in his best form and who may become a great mentor for the young left-handed batsman.

In 13 List-A matches, he scored 779 runs at a more-than-impressive average of 70.81 and a strike rate of 91.53. He has three fifties and as many hundreds to his name including a top knock of 203 runs.

Ravi Bishnoi

The bidding went up to INR 2 Crore when Kings XI Punjab picked up the 20-year old. Bishnoi is a leg spinner and is expected to be one of the top uncapped players this season. He made headlines after he became the highest wicket-taker scalping 17 wickets in just six matches in the U19 World Cup 2020. In Kings XI Punjab, he is expected to play an important role after the departure of their lead spinner and captain, Ravichandran Ashwin. 

Under the guidance of ace leg-spinner Anil Kumble, he can become a potent weapon for the Mohali-based team. Bishnoi, who is also a part of India’s U19 squad, was bid for by Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab with the latter winning the bid. 

Virat Singh

Sunrisers picked up Singh for INR 1.9 Crore, who is an aggressive batsman from Jharkhand. He received bids from Kings XI Punjab but was finally picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad. Singh has an excellent technique and the right temperament to bat in the middle order and is likely to get a place in SRH’s playing XI right from the start of the IPL season. 

In just 56 games, he has hit 10 fifties and scored 1,552 runs at 35.27, with a healthy strike-rate of 124.45. He scored 335 runs in just 7 matches at a strike-rate of above 100 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, while making 342 runs at a strike-rate of 142.32 and an average of 57.16 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.

Devdutt Padikkal

The 20-year old bats in the top order and has represented Karnataka in domestic cricket. He made a stroke-filled 77 on his Ranji Trophy debut against Maharashtra in November 2018. Padikkal was acquired by Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 20 Lacs at the player auction prior to IPL 2019.

Padikkal has risen through the ranks, he has represented India U-19 WC and has finished top scorer in both 50 over the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and Hazare Trophy. As an opener he scored 580 runs at a strike rate of 175.75 and struck a 50-plus score every two innings on average.

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Varun Chakravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore were the two teams interested in bidding for Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery spinner from Tamil Nadu. The 28-year-old has played only one T20 to date, but in the nine one-day matches he has taken 22 wickets at 16.68 and an economy rate of 4.23 for Tamil Nadu.

This isn’t the first time that Chakravarthy has commanded that high a price either. He received the joint-highest bid  (INR 8 crore) in the previous auction but he played only one game for Kings XI Punjab before he was injured and had to discontinue. That was, in fact, the only game he has played in all of 2019; surprisingly, that has not gone against him.

This season is going to be different compared to every other season, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Cricket officials have taken necessary precautions for the safety of the players and staff that will be travelling to UAE. IPL 2020 will be played from 19 September and the finals will be played on 10 November 2020, see schedule here.

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