New faces: 10 talents who are ready to own IPL this season
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre hogged the limelight in their debut IPL season last year and in the upcoming edition too, there would be quite a few who would like to justify the tournament tagline of “Where Talent Meets Opportunity”.
PTI takes a look at one rookie from each of the 10 franchises who are expected to make a name for themselves in the next eight weeks.
The list comprises both Indian and international names who either haven’t yet made their IPL debut or have played less than five games so far.
Prashant Veer (Chennai Super Kings): There are plenty of cricketers in India, who bowl slow left-arm orthodox and bat left-handed. But none of them are faced with the task of filling up the big boots of Ravindra Jadeja like the 20-year-old Amethi-born Prashant Veer.
Never before has one witnessed the Chennai Super Kings invest so heavily in youth. The franchise bagged him with a Rs 14.20 crore bid, based more on potential and how the scouts felt after looking at him during trials.
The 20-year-old has only nine Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) matches under his belt but with a bowling economy rate of 6.45 and a batting strike-rate of 167 plus, Prashant Veer is expected to play a big part for the ‘Canary Yellows’ this season.
Auqib Nabi (Delhi Capitals): At 29, Nabi isn’t a spring chicken and has a good eight years of domestic cricket under his belt but the anticipation surrounding his IPL debut would make DC fans believe that they are in for something special.
After a stellar Ranji season during which he claimed 60-odd wickets to singlehandedly get the trophy for Jammu and Kashmir, the ‘Baramullah Express’s big-match temperament and India prospects will be judged this year. He has played 34 T20 games for J&K in SMAT and the economy rate of 7.74 is good for someone who mostly bowls in Powerplays.
The only worrying factor will be his average speed, which is in the early 130s and could be cannon fodder for international batters.
Ashok Sharma (Gujarat Titans): Ashok, one of the fastest young bowlers in India, has been a part of the Rajasthan Royals set-up but hasn’t got a game so far in the IPL.
There are no guarantees that the 23-year-old will get one this season with GT, especially with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna being around as the first two choices, along with Kagiso Rabada.
However, among back-up Indian pacers, Ashok could be looked at by head coach Ashish Nehra, especially after clocking 150 kmph at this year’s SMAT.
Tejasvi Dahiya (Kolkata Knight Riders): Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Abhishek Nayar’s protege Angkrish Raghuvanshi is being prepared as the batter-keeper since he has already played a couple of IPL seasons.
But the 23-year-old Dahiya, who hails from Delhi, is also a serious talent, who if persisted with, could give results in the long run. He scored a half-century for Delhi during the last SMAT and a strike-rate of 168 makes him a good bet in the middle-order.
Naman Tiwari (Lucknow Super Giants): Good left-arm pacers are few and far between in India and the 2024 U-19 World Cupper Naman Tiwari has impressed one and all during trials.
The 20-year-old regularly clocks northwards of 140 clicks, had a good 2024 UP T20 league for Noida Kings and could be a handy back-up option if need be. Tiwari has the ability to get deliveries straighten to right-handers.
Allah Ghazanfar (Mumbai Indians): If there is one bowler that IPL fans have been eagerly waiting to watch, it has to be 20-year-old Ghazanfar, the latest from the stable of mystery spinners produced by Afghanistan.
Ghazanfar was supposed to play for KKR last season but had opted out. He has done well for MI Emirates and this season, Mahela Jayawardene would be tempted to use him as one of the four overseas options.
Mitchell Owen (Punjab Kings): Last season, Owen got to face only two balls in a single game but the burly Tasmanian is coming on the back of a reputation that he has built for Hobart Hurricanes with a strike-rate of 187 over 36 Big Bash League games and a strike rate of 180 plus in 75 career T20 games.
The 24-year-old has the ability to give the ball a mighty thwack and to add to it, he can slip in an over or two of medium pace.
Ravi Singh (Rajasthan Royals): The 24-year-old Railwayman smashed 218 runs for his side with a strike rate of 173 during SMAT last year.
The highlight certainly was a 38-ball-68 in a successful chase against Vidarbha — an attack that had IPL players Yash Thakur, Harsh Dubey and Darshan Nalkande. It fetched him a Rs 95 lakh deal with RR and it would be interesting to follow his progress this season.
Jacob Bethell (Royal Challengers Bengaluru): The 22-year-old scored a half-century last season in one of the two games that he got a look-in but this time, Bethell is coming into the IPL on the back of a superb century in the T20 World Cup semi-final against India at the Wankhede. On Chinnaswamy belters, he along with Jitesh Sharma, could become a nightmare for the opposition teams.
Shivang Kumar (Sunrisers Hyderabad): The 23-year-old from Madhya Pradesh bowls left-arm wrist spin that makes him a rare commodity. Unlike Kuldeep, who has an angular run-up to the crease, Shivang has a more orthodox straight run-up. He is also a handy lower-order batter but it remains to be seen if SRH head coach Daniel Vettori can find a slot for him.
