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Assessing the performance of India U19 players in IPL 2020 | Analyzing the performance of the U19 Indian players in IPL 2020

The Indian U-19 team succumbed in the World Cup Final against Bangladesh earlier this year. Despite not finishing at the top, the colts managed to carve a name for them by putting up some promising performances on display.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) allowed uncapped players to be auctioned off ahead of a season in 2015. This put the domestic players in the same bracket as their international counterparts and vastly increased the value of U-19 cricketers. Teams started stressing upon them as investments for the longer run, the best examples of which would be Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. Both of them were picked by the Delhi-based franchise in 2015 and 2016 for INR 2.6 crores and INR 1.9 crores respectively. They continue to be valuable assets for their teams even now.

Though the duo was retained for a hefty amount ahead of the 2018 campaign, the fact that they were snapped up when they were relatively unknown holds the key over here. Similarly, multiple India U-19 players from the World Cup squad of this year were chosen by different IPL teams. As the league stage of the tournament nears its end, Cricblog assesses the performances of these cricketers in the article.

Note: All statistics accurate before the KXIP vs RR match on October 30, 2020.

Priyam Garg:

Sunrisers Hyderabad bought the captain of the U-19 side, Priyam Garg, at INR 1.9 crores. Lacking proven domestic performers in the middle-order, Garg has been handed out 11 caps so far by the 2016 IPL champions.

He has scored 109 runs at a strike rate of 128.23. The batsman’s most crucial knock was against the Chennai Super Kings in the first encounter between the two sides. Garg scored an unbeaten 51 runs in 25 deliveries, as he took on the bowlers smartly and cleared the ropes at will.

The player has been missing some consistency in his approach though, something that has contributed to the mediocre numbers that he has racked up. However, the first season in the IPL is never a convenient one for anyone. Garg’s playing style and understanding of the game along with his ability to improvise his shots according to the demands of the situation holds him in good stead ahead of the forthcoming challenges.

Yashasvi Jaiswal:

Yashasvi Jaiswal was one of the top performers of the U-19 squad as the southpaw made heads turn with his impeccable technique. Having created quite a reputation, Jaiswal was picked by Rajasthan Royals for INR 2.4 crores.

He started the very first game of the season for the franchise but has been unable to rediscover his touch, hence missing out from the IPL thereafter. In three innings, he has notched 40 runs with the highest score of 34 runs in 36 deliveries in a chase of 185 against the Delhi Capitals. Jaiswal’s talent is unquestionable, and so is his knack of playing a long knock. However, he might just need some more time to hone his skills and prepare for the challenges that the IPL presents.

It would be interesting to see if the Royals persist with the lad as and when the next mega-auction arrives. It has been a rough season for the 19-year-old but he possesses the skillset to bounce back firmly in the coming seasons.

Ravi Bishnoi:

Ravi Bishnoi billed INR 2 crores in the auction, and it seems like Kings XI Punjab head coach Anil Kumble took special interest in developing the prodigy. Bishnoi had notched 17 wickets in six games in the World Cup, a feat that surely attracted the IPL outfits towards him. The leg-spinner has played all of Kings XI Punjab’s matches this season so far (12).

He has picked up 12 wickets at a good economy rate of 7.20. Bishnoi has come out as a smart bowler, using his variations and maintaining a tight line to restrain the batsmen from taking him on. He is unafraid to toss the ball up on occasions too, and has bowled at a length that does not often allow the batters to get under the ball and smack it out of the park.

Maybe, Punjab can start giving him more overs at the start or the death gradually that will allow Bishnoi to take more wickets and put his skills to a greater test. More or less, his place can be deemed to be fixed in the KXIP setup for the future.

Kartik Tyagi:

Kartik Tyagi has played eight games for RR so far and excited quite a few observers with his innate pace and bowling style. Tyagi has a fairly long run-up, but it is his tall frame and an action that stresses on putting more pace on the ball that separates him from others.

More importantly, Tyagi bowls a hard, back-of-short length deliveries conveniently and manages to trick the batsmen with that little bit of extra bounce in the end. He can also bowl at the block hole when required, thus making him an ideal candidate to rely on in all stages of the innings.

The pacer has picked seven scalps so far. His economy rate of 9.41 might appear to be on the higher side, it is rather a compulsion for the opposition to take him on at some point as they usually have Jofra Archer to deal with on the other end. Tyagi’s numbers might look underwhelming currently, but he shown enough flair to be earmarked as one of the top fast bowlers to keep an eye on in the future.

Note: Akash Singh, another player from the U-19 WC squad to be picked by RR, hasn’t played a game so far this season.

Written by Tarkesh Jha. Follow Tarkesh on Twitter today.