Its that time of the year again. Another edition of the thill-a-minute-ride that is the Indian Premier League is upon us. A 10-team affair comprising of some of the best players in the world commenced a few weeks ago and already, we have been witness to some excellent matches.
There have been multiple talking points in the short window, but the one major aspect of the 15th edition of the IPL has been the performance of the uncapped Indian player.
Historically, the uncapped player in the Indian Premier League has been a mere addition to the overall squad, with team managements opting to give them a chance when the stakes are very low.
However, this season has witnessed a refreshing change to that line of thought. The Mumbai Indians, historically a side filled with a superb top four to complement the varied fast bowling attack, did not have the best of times in the mega auction and as a result, were forced to punt on Tilak Verma, a southpaw from Hyderabad.
And in an unimpressive start to their campaign which has seen the team lose their first four games, he has stood out as one of the few bright spots, with 121 runs in four matches. His confidence against R Ashwin, in particular, reflected a lack of stage fright while playing in front of crowds against some of the best bowlers on the planet.
That feature has been a constant with almost every uncapped Indian player this time around: a lack of stage fright when facing some of the most reputed names in the game.
Ayush Badoni, not selected by Delhi Capitals despite giving three trials, has shown evidence that under pressure, with the stakes rising by the minute, he can handle the pressure of the league. His performance in his side’s first ever IPL game against Gujarat Titans with the side reeling was enough proof to suggest the potential he possessed.
Then walking in against CSK in a stiff chase, he once again showed very little fear of the stage in front of him, creaming Shivam Dube and Mukesh Choudhary for sixes in the chase showed the clear head he possessed.
Anuj Rawat, a product of the same academy that has produced Virat Kohli, has ensured that the senior Indian pro did not have to come out to bat with the side suffering an early stutter and against MI in Pune last Saturday, showed what he could do by scoring his maiden IPL half-century for the RCB.
Unlike Verma and Badoni, Rawat has had the chance to face the new ball in Powerplay restrictions, which has given him the freedom to express himself and it does look like RCB will persist with him in the upcoming matches, as well.
But even above Rawat, the one RCB player who has truly risen and shined is Shahbaz Ahmed. After a reluctant season in 2020, the franchise seems to have seen enough from him to suggest he could bat in the top five and from the little evidence that we have seen, he has shown himself to be organised with the bat in hand, with the ability to play all around the ground.
While we have already seen in the past about what he can do, Rahul Tewatia has further shown that when under the pump, with fans looking upwards in the hope of a miracle, he has the ability to hold his nerve and deliver for his side.
Among the bowlers, Vaibhav Arora from PBKS impressed one-and-all with his ability to move the ball against CSK and seems like some who can complement the ever-improving Arshdeep Singh and the experienced Kagiso Rabada.
Above are only few examples of uncapped players who have done well thus far in the competition. The performance of these players has been even more impressive, considering that there has been no continuous India ‘A’ cricket in the last few years owing to the pandemic.
India’s white-ball domestic leg concluded late last year, so essentially players have joined their respective franchises with reduced game time than what they would have earlier. With more than a month left in the group stage of the league, hope is that these players can continue to make a mark for themselves in the tournament.
