Former Indian captain and ex-BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has picked his 5 young Indian players who he feels will rule the IPL in the coming years. Surprisingly, his list didn’t include two aggressive batters in Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, and the reliable Shreyas Iyer.
Instead, Sourav Ganguly promptly named Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and fast bowler Umran Malik before adding Gujarat Titans’ Shubman Gill to his list of 5 players who he believes will make it big in the IPL in the upcoming seasons.
Speaking on a Star Sports show, the former BCCI President was asked about the 5 youngsters who, according to him, will become heavyweights in the cash-rich league. Ganguly made a special mention about the in-form Suryakumar Yadav, but given SKY is 32 years old already, he can’t be considered a youngster.
“The best in the business is Suryakumar Yadav. Obviously, you don’t consider him a youngster anymore, but having said that, among the young players, Prithvi Shaw has a lot of talent in the T20 format, and I think Rishabh Pant. He is only 23 (25). He has got the world at his feet; Rishabh Pant is the No. 2. I would keep a look at Ruturaj Gaikwad, how he keeps playing. I think these are the three batsmen. Umran Malik is one who will probably, if he stays fit, will continue to keep the fans interested in the game because of his genuine pace,” Ganguly said.
“I think my fifth player would be Shubman Gill. So, it’s Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Surya probably heads the list, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Umran Malik and Shubman Gill,” he concluded.
The countdown to the Indian Premier League is on, and #SouravGanguly has revealed his favourite young guns who will make the #TataIPL bigger and better! 🏏
Who makes it to your list this year? 🤔#IncredibleAwards #IPLonStar pic.twitter.com/k786PYRGwc
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 24, 2023
The fans of Sanju Samson, though, won’t be pleased with Sourav Ganguly ignoring the Rajasthan Royals skipper from this tally. Many believe that this statement from Ganguly is a reflection of the “unfair” selection treatment Samson had gotten (or lack of) under Ganguly’s tenure as the BCCI president.
The IPL 2023 will start on March 31. This season brings another opportunity for Samson – and other fringe players – to make claims for inclusion in India’s white-ball teams. Since the ODI World Cup 2023 will be hosted in India, the IPL performances will also be keenly observed by the selectors.