Every year the IPL produces some exhilarating cricket. Sometimes it is the senior pros while at other times an unheralded name catches the eye. The likes of Virat Kohli, David Warner and KL Rahul, to name a few, continue to do well, much like what is par for course for them. But one of the things that the IPL always does, is put the spotlight on talented youngsters, who otherwise may have found it tougher to catch the cricket world’s attention.
From left arm pacer Mohsin Khan, to Tilak Varma to Jitesh Sharma, there have been quite a few players who are now household names. IPL 2022 with 10 teams has paved the way for more players to be in the mix, and produce more memorable performances.
So, who have been the standout youngsters in IPL 2022?
Mohsin Khan
The left arm pacer from UP played the first game for Lucknow Super Giants but did not get as much game time as he would have liked. Mohsin played 9 games and stood out in almost every outing, finishing his season with 14 scalps, which is joint second best with Jason Holder, after Avesh Khan.
In a talented line-up like Lucknow’s, Mohsin, who got the ball to move early in the innings, made the most of his chances with both hands, snapping up some big wickets. Games against Punjab and Lucknow saw him produce his best performances for the season in the Lucknow colours.
His ability to push the batters back with hard lengths and good pace, on surfaces that had bounce and were good batting conditions held him in good stead. The left armer is definitely one to keep an eye on.
IPL 2022: Mumbai Indians star batter Tilak Varma
Image: BCCI
Tilak Varma
The season has been a forgettable one for Rohit Sharma and the Mumbai Indians. However, if anything, one of the brightest spots would have been the stellar showing by Tilak Varma, who finished as the second highest scoring batter in the team after Ishan Kishan.
In 14 games, Tilak scored 397 runs and was one of the mainstays of a batting line-up that just would not get going, and were further feeling the absence of Hardik Pandya and Quinton de Kock. Varma was consistent through the tournament and the u-19 player displayed great steel in tough situations.
Known for his clean hitting, the youngster was also able to adapt and hold down his end when needed and finished the season with 2 fifties, with a best of 61 off 33 balls against the Rajasthan Royals. Expect to see more heroics from the youngster in the domestic season and the IPL seasons from here on in.
Jitesh Sharma
One of the young players to really catch everyone’s attention was Punjab Kings’ keeper-batter Jitesh Sharma. The youngster was quick behind the stumps and could pummel the ball a distance in the slog overs as well.
Against CSK, with MS Dhoni batting, Jitesh also convinced his captain Mayank Agarwal to take a DRS call for a caught behind of the veteran which no one had caught on the field. Turned out that Jitesh was right. He went on to add a valuable 26-run cameo for his side too. In his 12 matches, Jitesh has scored 234 runs at an average of 29.25 with his strike rate being 163.63. He made every use of the opportunities given to him and was consistent in his performances for the team in red. Unfortunately they were knocked out early, but Jitesh would surely be one of the first names on their team sheet next season too.
Mukesh Choudhary
An uncapped and unknown pacer who turns up in the yellow and listens to MS Dhoni’s instructions carefully, before going and producing the goods, mostly in the early phase of the innings. It’s a familiar line of thought, isn’t it?
As was the case with Tilak Varma at MI, Mukesh was the bright spot for the CSK franchise in what was a bad season for them. The left-arm pacer finished with 16 wickets from 12 games, and would strike early quite often, giving his side a good start with the ball. He was the highest wicket taker for CSK along side Dwayne Bravo.
Shy, hard working and a quick learner, Mukesh is able to swing the ball both ways, and even though the start to the IPL season was tough, the bowler did not lose the stomach for a fight. This season, he particularly enjoyed bowling against MI, picking 3 wickets in both the games and 4 more against Sunrisers. With MSD running the show and mentoring the youngsters in CSK, expect Mukesh to make good progress over the years.
Kuldeep Sen celebrates a wicket.
Image: BCCI
Ayush Badoni
Another young player in the Lucknow side who caught the attention of a lot of experts for his dashing style. Ayush Badoni is 22 and was very calm in his approach whenever he had the chance.
Badoni mostly came into bat in the second half of the innings and displayed the ability to not only pick up the scoring rate from the get-go but also had the shots to play across the park, making bowling to him quite difficult.
While Badoni shone mostly in the first half of the IPL, his ability and approach was there for all to see. Lucknow mentor Gautam Gambhir has been credited with picking out the talented youngster, who will surely score plenty of runs in the coming years. He finished with one half-century in the season.
Kuldeep Sen
Not the youngest, but quite effective – Kuldeep Sen and his pace have troubled opposition batters a fair amount, and understandably Rajasthan Royals have benefited quite a bit from that.
The 25-year-old from Madhya Pradesh played 7 games for the Royals and bagged 8 wickets and stood out for his ability to continuously clock good speed. Kuldeep engineered one of RR’s wins, when he defended 15 and the Royals won a thrilling contest. At the other end was one of the most dangerous finishers in the game in Marcus Stoinis, who faced three dots in that final over. This is the first time Kuldeep is part of an IPL team. He was picked up by Rajasthan in the 2022 mega auction for Rs 20 lakh.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)