Indian Premier League has been a revelation in Indian cricket, to say the least. Considered as the best of all the T20 leagues played around the globe, the IPL has not only delivered overwhelmingly on the grounds of entertainment and glamour, both on and off the pitch, it has also helped a number of young players to get their desired recognition on the world stage and make it into the Indian cricket team.
As a token of the brilliant performances by some of the best young players in the IPL, they are awarded the Best Emerging player of the season. Each season, we have seen young players make a mark with their batting, bowling and all-round performances to win this accolade, which is expected to give their career a kickstart in terms of making their way into the national team.
However, there are only a few players who have been able to realize their dreams of playing in the Indian cricket team, while others have failed to make the same amount of impact despite winning this prestigious accolade.
In the following lines, we will have a look at these players, who have won the best emerging player of the year in the IPL in the last 12 seasons and what they are currently up to.
#1 Sreevats Goswami
The Bengal wicketkeeper was picked by the Royal Challengers Bangalore side in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League after he played an important role to help the Indian U-19 team win the World Cup in 2008. He, however, was unable to make an impact in the first IPL campaign as he finished with 82 runs from just three matches as RCB ended at the second last position.
This not only hampered his growth in competitive cricket as he lost the chance to become a long term replacement for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, but it also saw him travel from one franchisee to another. He is currently a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad side and is the third choice wicketkeeper-batsman after Jonny Bairstow and Wriddhiman Saha, who belongs from the state as Goswami.
#2 Rohit Sharma
He started off his IPL career with the then franchisee Deccan Chargers, which now is known as Sunrisers Hyderabad. He had a brilliant IPL season in 2009 where he notched up 362 runs in 16 matches at the strike rate of 114.92, helping his side to lift the coveted trophy.
It helped him to make it into the Indian cricket team as well. He has been one of the most destructive batsmen the game has ever seen and is also the deputy to captain Virat Kohli. The emergence of Rohit as a successful batsman started from the IPL and he kept winning accolades with his current franchisee Mumbai Indians as well.
He is currently the most successful skipper in the IPL, with four trophies to his name. Mumbai Indians are currently the defending champions of the IPL.
#3 Saurabh Tiwary
The Mahendra Singh Dhoni lookalike made it into the Indian cricket team in 2010 after a successful outing in the IPL. He, however, could not hold on to the success that he earned from the mega event and was soon pushed out of the Indian team with more talented youngsters coming in to take his place.
#4 Iqbal Abdullah
The left-arm spinner was a key figure in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ side in 2011. His wizardry with the ball helped him pick up 16 wickets in the tournament. However, he was never picked for the Indian cricket team.
With not much success coming his way in his recent spells with Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, there is very little hope that he will ever be able to don the blue jersey.
#5 Mandeep Singh
Currently a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise, Mandeep Singh showed his mettle for Kings XI Punjab in the 2012 edition of IPL with 432 runs with a strike rate of 126.32, helping him to earn a spot in the Indian cricket team during their tour of Zimbabwe. However, he has not been able to make a mark in the IPL and has not played for India as well.
#6 Sanju Samson
The Kerala-born batsman wicketkeeper has a truckload of talent, but with players like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant already there in the Indian cricket team, he has not been able to carve a niche for himself with the Men in Blue. He won the emerging player award in 2013 as he scored 411 runs at a strike rate of 137.81.
#7 Axar Patel
The left-arm spinner enjoyed some success as a part of the Indian cricket team and has also played in the 2015 World Cup. He won the emerging player award in 2014 after he performed exceptionally well with the ball, picking up 17 wickets in total to show for his efforts.
#8 Shreyas Iyer
The Mumbai-based batsman has worked hard on his game since his exclusion from the 2019 World Cup squad and has cemented his place at number four spot in the Indian team. He won the coveted award in the 2015 edition of the IPL, piling up 439 runs at an average of 33.76.
#9 Mustafizur Rahman
The young Bangladeshi bowler took the tournament by storm in 2016 as he helped Sunrisers Hyderabad lift the trophy with 17 wickets to his name. He is the only overseas player to win this prestigious award.
#10 Basil Thampi
He was in phenomenal form during the 2017 edition of the tournament with the ball as he picked up 12 wickets for Gujarat Lions in 11 matches and won the accolade. He, however, has not yet been picked for the Indian national team.
#11 Rishabh Pant
The man who replaced the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the Indian ODI and T20 team, Rishabh Pant, had a brilliant outing with Delhi Capitals in the 2018 edition of the IPL. Known for his power hitting and ability to take on the opposition bowling, the Delhi batsman-wicketkeeper is soon turning into an asset for the men in blue.
#12 Shubhman Gill
The youngster had a huge challenge in front of him as he had to face some of the best bowlers of international as well as domestic cricket as an opener for Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2019 edition of the IPL. He made the most of this opportunity and scored 296 runs at an average of 124.36 and is waiting in the wings to cement his place in the Indian cricket team.
