The finds of IPL 2023: Who can be a potential India player?

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Regardless of which team becomes champion in the Indian Premier League (IPL), there have always been young talents who emerge victorious despite their team not doing so well. IPL 2023 is no exception either. The Indian cricket team is already going through the process of evolution in the T20I format, and the success of some of the youngsters in this IPL makes them a worthy candidate for India selection keeping the long-term view. Here are some of the key performers from different teams who showed that they have it in them to make it big.

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Rajasthan Royal’s opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has exactly done what any young player needs to do to knock on the door of India selection. That is to follow up the domestic cricket’s excellent form in the IPL. Jaiswal who plays for Mumbai in first-class cricket scored 625 runs in 14 innings, averaging 48.08 while striking at 163.61 in the IPL 2023 and was 4th on the list of highest run-getters this season. Remarkably, his strike rate was far better than the likes of Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and even Shubman Gill (all three who got more runs than him). It was not surprising to note that Jaiswal was the first name which came to India head coach Rahul Dravid’s mind when Ruturaj Gaikwad was unavailable as a stand-by opener for the upcoming World Test Championship in June. India captain Rohit Sharma who has seen the fellow Mumbaikar closely was already impressed. “He has taken his game to another level; I wish that he continues that form. It’s good for him, Indian cricket, and, of course, RR,” the MI captain had said earlier during the tournament.

Future prospect- Jaiswal can be a potential long-term opening partner of Gill across the formats for team India because he too is an all-format player and is a left-hander which is an added advantage.

Rinku Singh

If there is one name that will always stand out from the IPL 2023, it has to be the left-hander from the Kolkata Knight Riders. His extraordinary assault on Yash Dayal of Gujarat Titans for five consecutive sixes to chase the highest-ever target in IPL history in the 20th over made him an instant celebrity this season. Rinku finished the season as the highest run-getter for his team KKR as he scored 474 runs in 14 innings at an average of 59.25 while striking at 149.52. Rinku was among the top-10 highest run-getters this season but more than the number of runs, it was the manner of his run-gathering and unflappable temperament which impressed the cricket experts.

Rinku Singh

Future prospect- Since the retirement of Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina, India didn’t have a solid left-hander in the middle order and now Rinku is all set to get his maiden India call-up during the upcoming West Indies tour.

Jitesh Sharma

Punjab Kings' Jitesh Sharma may not have been among the top 20 batters with the most runs category but his 309 runs at an impressive strike rate of 156.06 along with the duty of primary wicketkeeper this season for Punjab has made him a strong contender for T20I formats for India.

Future prospect- With the keeper-batsman slot already crowded with the likes of Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul and Sanju Samson, it may not be easy to walk into the Indian team in the near future but the Vidharbha batsman can always hope for an opportunity as there aren’t too many of his types in domestic cricket.

The likes of Tilak Varma (Mumbai Indians) and Dhruv Jurel (Rajasthan Royals) too managed to hog the limelight in this IPL with some exceptional cameos here and there but they need to follow up with some better knocks in domestic cricket as well.

Among the bowlers, the highest wicket-taker chart was dominated by seasoned campaigners like Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan and even a forgotten man like Mohit Sharma from Gujarat Titans but there were few bright bowlers who managed to show glimpses of a better future.

Akash Madhwal may have played just eight matches this season for Mumbai Indians but he managed to earn plaudits from the greats of the game. Madhwal got 14 wickets at an economy rate of 8.58 but his cool temperament during the high voltage death-overs has made him a talent for the future. At the age of 28, he may not be among the typical young talents but this late-bloomer has the potential to play for India if he can keep this consistency in other formats of the game.

Similarly, Tusar Despande from Chennai Super Kings may have been a bit expensive in his stats (economy rate) but the fact that he was highly rated by MS Dhoni and given the key responsibility of bowling crucial overs makes him a fine talent.

Among the spinner, Ravi Bishnoi from Lucknow Super Giants had another fine season in the IPL. Even though Yuzvendra Chahal got more wickets than Bishnoi in this IPL, the youngster had a better economy rate (7.74 in 15 matches while Chahal had 8.17 in 14 matches). With Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel already established and fighting for places in the playing XI for India, it may not be easy for Bishnoi to break through but he can always be in contention if there are injury or form issues with any of the senior players.