The latest edition of the IPL has just started, in time to provide some distraction from the rife in the outside world. Since it was the first IPL to be held on the Indian soil after a gap of almost two years, the fans were naturally excited. Within a short time since the series started, we have already seen some thrilling and close encounters and even a Super Over finish. Punters are eagerly looking forward to today’s match predictions to make the most of the betting odds offered by the top betting sites.
One of the biggest standout features of this year’s IPL has been the contribution of the youngsters so far. And there have already been a few scintillating performances so far. Let’s have a look at the top three young players who have stood out so far in this year’s IPL.
Devdutt Padikkal
The 20-year-old batsman from Kerala was picked up by the RCB in the 2018 IPL auction, thanks to his performances at the Karnataka Premier League, where he represented the Bellary Tuskers, as well as in the Ranji Trophy Matches that he played for Karnataka, scoring 77 in his debut match against Karnataka.
In his first season at the IPL, he became the first player to score three half-centuries in his first four matches and went on to score 2 more before the RCB campaign ended. This season has been equally fruitful, as he hit his first century at the IPL, an innings that was punctuated with some magnificent stroke play, and leading his team to a 10 wicket victory against the Rajasthan Royals, and all this just after a month of testing positive for CoViD 19. With the tournament, not even halfway through, Padikkal is surely going to treat us with many more such innings.
Harshal Patel
Although born in Gujarat, he is currently the captain of the Haryana Ranji Trophy team. Thanks to some brilliant performances in the domestic circuit, he was picked up by the RCB in the 2012 auctions. In 2018, he was picked by the Delhi team and was traded again to the RCB, his current team.
And in the very first match of the season, he proved his worth by becoming the first bowler in the history of IPL to take a 5 wicket haul against the 5-time title winners Mumbai Indians, giving away just one run and picking up three important wickets of Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, and Marco Jansen, playing an important role in the victory of RCB.
In spite of being taken to the cleaners by Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 37 runs in his final over against the CSK, Patel is still one of the best death bowlers in the current IPL.
Shivam Mavi
Mavi has been a regular for the KKR since 2018 when he was picked up for a whopping price of ₹3 crores after an exceptional performance at the Under 19 World Cup where he picked 9 wickets at a miserly economy of 4.12. He missed the 2019 season and had a stress fracture in his back, that kept him out of action for quite a bit of time.
Despite the KKR languishing at the bottom of the points table currently, Mavi has had a good time with the ball so far, especially against the Rajasthan Royals, where he bowled a superb spell, giving away just 19 runs in his quota of 4 overs. He currently has the best economic rate amongst all the bowlers. The team will be heavily reliant on his fast seam bowling to help them rise and make it to the playoffs.