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5 IPL debutants to watch out for in 2021 | 5 debutants who could be mighty impressive in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League
To the delight of all the cricket fans across the world, the 14th edition of the biggest festival of Indian cricket, the Indian Premier league, is going to commence from 9th of April. We will witness some fantastic cricket for a long period of almost 2 months.
There are some exciting players who are expected to make their debut in the IPL this season, and they would like to capitalize on this golden opportunity. In this article, I am going to mention five such debutants who might turn out to be impressive in IPL 2021.
Lalit Yadav (Delhi Capitals)
One of the numerous batting talents in Indian domestic circuit, Lalit Yadav, has a strong reputation of being a dynamic hitter of the ball. In his T20 career, Lalit has scored 560 runs from 28 innings at a very good average of 37.33 and an excellent SR of 149.33.
He provides a bowling option as well. He has picked 27 wickets from 34 innings at a very impressive economy of 6.86. Despite being an allrounder of such a calibre, he didn’t get a single game for the Delhi Capitals last season, which was a bit surprising for me.
Last season, Marcus Stoinis seemed to be the lone warrior for them in the finishing department in most of the games. Although they have Sam Billings this time, the rule of including a maximum of four overseas players might not allow them to include him in the first choice XI. In such a scenario, there is a decent possibility that DC might try Lalit who has the potential to score some quick runs down the order and provide a bowling option as well, thereby bringing the balance into the side. If he is given a chance, he definitely has the ability to play some crucial quick cameos down the order and might thus turn out to be impressive in IPL 2021.
Shahrukh Khan (Punjab Kings):
Like Lalit Yadav, Shahrukh Khan also has the reputation of being a fearless striker down the order. In the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Shahrukh had the best batting strike rate of 220. He played some really quick cameos for Tamil Nadu, including a crucial knock of 40 runs off just 19 balls against Himachal Pradesh in the quarter final.
Now looking at the Punjab Kings’ squad, they need someone who can start hitting from ball one batting down the order as they lack firepower beyond their top 4. They spent over 5crs to get Shahrukh for this purpose only and therefore he is expected to start as their finisher alongside Fabian Allen. Looking at his ability of hitting sixes effortlessly, I really believe that he can be the shining light for the Punjab-based franchise this season.
Finn Allen (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Finn Allen, one of the most promising talents in the world cricket right now, has been signed by RCB as Josh Philippe’s replacement. Statistically speaking, Allen has scored a total of 554 runs from 15 innings at a very good average of 42.61 and a stupendous SR of 182.23. He was the highest run-getter in the latest edition of the Super Smash, where he smashed 512 runs at an extraordinary SR of 193.94.
The young Kiwi batsman is a like-for-like replacement of Philippe and therefore is expected to make his debut this season. Allen might enjoy batting especially on the tracks of Mumbai and Kolkata where the wicket has good pace and bounce, and the ball comes on to the bat nicely as compared to the relatively slower decks of Chennai and Ahmedabad. So, considering his immense potential with the bat, he could prove to be a boon for RCB at the top of the order by providing the best possible start.
R Sai Kishore (Chennai Super Kings)
This tall left arm orthodox bowler is another exciting young talent to watch out for in this IPL, the reason being his immaculate accuracy with the ball. In the 30 innings he has bowled so far in t20s, Sai Kishore has picked 33 wickets at an unbelievable economy of 5.28. In the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he took 8 wickets from 8 games at an economy of mere 4.82 and thus played a key role for Tamil Nadu in becoming the champions. These numbers speak volumes for his capabilities with the ball. He is accurate; also his height can prove to be a big advantage especially on the bouncy Wankhede deck where CSK are going to play their first 5 games. If he gets his lengths right, he has a chance to deceive the batsmen especially with his trajectory as often the tall spinners do. So, his name will definitely be under consideration and if he gets a chance, he definitely has the skillset to bowl some really good spells for CSK.
Jhye Richardson (Kings Punjab)
One of the major reasons for the downfall of the Punjab Kings last season was their death bowling. So, prior to the mini auction, they released Sheldon Cottrell and bought 2 genuinely quick Aussie bowlers Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith in the mini auction.
Richardson took the most number of wickets in the recently concluded BBL, on the basis of which he was picked by PBKS. In the BBL, more than 40 percent of his total wickets came in the death overs.
Overall, Richardson has taken 82 wickets from 67 innings in T20s with a decent economy of 7.92. He can swing the new ball at a very good pace and also possesses the ability of nailing yorkers accurately at the death. Considering his stature, he is definitely expected to start for PBKS ahead of Meredith. He is supposed to be the leader of their attack alongside Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh. Therefore, his performance will surely determine the performance of PBKS in the tournament to a certain extent. Looking at his abilities as well as current form, I won’t be surprised if he takes the precious Purple Cap with him to Australia.
So, this is my list of five debutants who might turn out to be impressive for their respective teams in IPL 2021. Do any others come to mind? Have your say!
Written by Debashish Sarangi. Follow Debashish on Twitter today.
