The first half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 went off without a hitch, with 29 games played before the COVID-19 virus wreaked havoc. Many cases in different team bubbles caused the rescheduling of the match that was supposed to happen on Tuesday morning.
Despite the postponement of the match, a few young players shone early in the season. Keep an eye out for these seven rising stars that we picked out once the season resumes.
Avesh Khan
With a strike rate of 12.8, Avesh Khan took 14 wickets at an economy rate of 7.70, making him one of the most impressive bowlers this season. The 24-year-old Madhya Pradesh fast bowler bowled at a good pace and was right on with his execution across the innings.
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad had a slow start to the 2020 season, but he finished with three consecutive half-centuries. He didn’t get off to the best of starts this year, either. However, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) supported him and backed him to succeed, and the 24-year-old top-order batsman from Maharashtra repaid the captain and team management’s confidence. In the following three games, he made a comeback with a score of 64, 33, and 75 in each game.
Harpreet Brar
Harpreet Brar may have only played two games in the 2021 version, but his game was enough to leave an indelible impression. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the left-handed all-rounder hit a critical 25 not out and took 3/19. In his first IPL season, he took the dream wickets of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and AB de Villiers. He also bowled well against the Delhi Capitals, striking with his first ball and finishing with praiseworthy figures of 1/19 from three overs.
Chetan Sakariya
Chetan Sakariya holds a lot of promise. He was the star bowler for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the first few games. He had a strong domestic season in 2020-21 (12 wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and 8 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy) that he carried over to the IPL. He took a pair of three-wicket hauls and remained relatively silent.
Marco Jansen
Marco Jansen has only been playing domestic cricket for a few years across all formats. However, few people had heard of him until the Mumbai Indians selected him in the IPL auction. The left-handed all-rounder featured in a few games and made quite an impression on the audience. In the first game against RCB, he had impressive figures of 2/28 from four overs and 0/17 against KKR.
Lalit Yadav
Newcomer Lalit Yadav and his all-round potential have shown a lot of promise with 54 runs from three innings and three wickets from 11 overs. In a run chase against Mumbai Indians (MI), he scored an undefeated 22 and helped Delhi Capitals (DC) cross the finish line. He was also a strong bowler, taking three at a 6.00 economy pace to keep things close.
Mohammed Siraj
In the 2020-21 season, Mohammed Siraj already made a powerful impression in international cricket as a member of the Indian Test team. His T20 game, on the other hand, wasn’t perfect, and he was often in question. Every season, he had an economy rate of more than 8.5. There were signs of progress last season, but he was still regarded as a new-ball bowler because his influence was the strongest upfront. Siraj, on the other hand, was outstanding this season. He was the RCB attack’s captain and bowled brilliantly in all three phases of the game. His execution was flawless, and as a result, Siraj, the T20 bowler, was unquestionably one of the season’s emerging stars.
