IPL 2018: Best XI of uncapped players

The cricketing extravaganza called the Indian Premier League (IPL) came to an end on Sunday (May 27) in a grand fashion, with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) winning the title for a record third time. This season was exemplary in terms of the talent it showcased, be it the veterans of the game or the bundle of youngsters that emerged onto the platform of international Cricket with a flourish.

There’s a general tendency for the crowd to flock towards the celebrated players of a franchise while ignoring the lesser known names. In particular, IPL 2018 forced most of us to change this biased perspective as it was a season predominantly owned by the uncapped players, who surprised one and all with their abundant talent. Let’s take a look at the Best XI of uncapped cricketers of this season.

1. Prithvi Shaw (C) – Delhi Daredevils

Young Prithvi Shaw hit the headlines when he captained the India U-19 side to the World Cup title earlier this year. The youngster was picked up by the Delhi Daredevils (DD) at a whopping price of INR 1.2 crores as opposed to his base price of INR 20 lakhs as an uncapped player.

The 18 year-old didn’t disappoint as he smashed 245 runs in just 9 matches to become the third highest run-getter for his side. Unfortunately, his heroics could not get DD to a fighting position in the tournament. Sporting an admirable strike rate of 153.12, Shaw impressed the toughest of his critics with his fluent strokeplay and can very well expect a spot in the national team in near future.

2. Ishan Kishan (wk) – Mumbai Indians

Ishan Kishan emerged as the perfect candidate to fill the void left by Parthiv Patel in the Mumbai Indians (MI). The 19 year-old became one of the highest paid uncapped players in IPL 2018 when he caused a humongous bidding war amongst the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), MI and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). MI eventually claimed Kishan for INR 6.20 crores.

Kishan justified his price tag as he served the role of a keeper-batsman to perfection. Not only did he score 274 runs in 12 matches for his side at a slot as crucial as number 3 in the batting order, but also ranked third in the list of most dismissals by a wicket-keeper, only behind veterans Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni. Kishan claimed 9 catches and 2 stumpings in the season.

3. Suryakumar Yadav – Mumbai Indians

Suryakumar Yadav’s transition from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the Mumbai side seemed to have worked wonders for him as he blasted his way through the tournament with the bat and how! Sold at a price of INR 3.20 crores, Yadav proved to be one of those goldmines masquerading as an unassuming uncapped player.

The 27 year-old returned to the Mumbai franchise after four seasons and swiftly became the highest run-scorer for the side in 2018, with 512 runs in 14 games. In particular, his knock worth 72 runs off 47 balls against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) can very well be considered as one of the finest innings that he’s ever played.

4. Nitish Rana – Kolkata Knight Riders

It’s almost as if Nitish Rana and Suryakumar Yadav were exchanged in a barter system for the MI and KKR sides. Rana didn’t look one bit of a tentative uncapped player but rather flourished like a seasoned batsman in the purple jersey of the Kolkata franchise, hitting runs consistently.

In the 15 games that he played, Rana ably soaked up the pressure on the middle-order of KKR’s batting line-up more often than not and scored 304 runs in the proceedings. He also served as a handy part-time bowling option for his skipper when the team was in dire straits and scalped 4 wickets, thus proving himself as one of the most talented youngsters in the tournament.

5. Shubman Gill – Kolkata Knight Riders

Young Shubman Gill had dazzled in the U-19 World Cup and he carried his form with him into the 2018 edition of the IPL. His gritty knock worth 30 runs off 20 balls in the second qualifier had been responsible for keeping KKR in the race till the very end. Gill showed a maturity and poise uncharacteristic of players so young in age, thus making him the perfect captaincy material.

Although he was a tad bit under-used in the league, Gill proved that he’s made for greater things in whatever amount of exposure he got on the field. The lanky youngster scored 203 runs in 11 matches at a healthy strike rate of 146.04 and also showed adequate intent on the field save that one dropped catch of MS Dhoni, thereby putting himself right into the race of making it to the national side.

6. Krunal Pandya – Mumbai Indians

The way Krunal Pandya performed in the eleventh edition of the IPL has prompted Indian Cricket fans to start dreaming about having its very own golden brother duo in the form of the Pandya brothers. The prolific cricketer delivered with both the bat and the ball. Senior Pandya, though uncapped as he stepped into IPL in 2018, might just be the answer to India’s all-rounder needs.

With the willow, Krunal scored 228 runs in 13 games at a blistering average of 145.22. When given the ball, he didn’t hesitate either as he scalped 12 wickets and successfully gave MI the crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs. Much like his younger brother whose performance in his debut IPL season in 2015 had earned him a spot in the Indian T20 team in early 2016, Krunal Pandya is right on track for a grand entry into international Cricket.

7. Krishnappa Gowtham – Rajasthan Royals

29 year-old Krishnappa Gowtham stepped into the IPL with innumerable references of his surname being drawn to Batman and ended the league with the respect of the onlookers. He served as the most valuable all-rounder for the Rajasthan Royals so much so that it’s almost questionable why he hasn’t come under the radar of Indian selectors till now.

Gowtham inflicted quite some damage with the bat a he sported the highest strike rate in his franchise at an awe-inspiring number of 196.88. He also delivered with his off-break bowling and clinched 11 wickets in 15 innings. His figures of 3-0-12-2 against the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) were nothing short of exemplary.

8. Mayank Markande – Mumbai Indians

20 year-old Mayank Markande was the find of the season for MI. The young lad worked wonders with his spin bowling and inspired the hope in Indian fans that the future of the nation’s Cricket is in good hands. Although MI were unable to make it into the play-offs, Markande stole the show with his top-notch bowling and was even branded as the “new spin sensation” on the social media.

Markande started off the tournament on a high as he confounded the best of batsmen. Although the youngster’s bowling was decoded by the oppositions later in the season causing his impact to lose a bit of its initial sheen, Markande was impressive nonetheless. He bagged 15 wickets in 14 games, along which included a four-fer against SRH.

9. Prasidh Krishna – Kolkata Knight Riders

Prasidh Krishna was instrumental in propelling KKR into the second qualifier by virtue of the stunning last two overs of his spell against RR, where he not only got Stuart Binny dismissed but also conceded only 11 runs in those overs. Although the youngster wasn’t without a few glitches in his fielding, he was impressive overall.

Given just 7 matches to play in the season, Krishna was drafted in as a replacement of the injured Kamlesh Nagakoti in the KKR side and the 22 year-old utilised the opportunity to the best of his ability. He scalped 10 wickets in the games that he played and if nurtured well in the coming years, he has the potential to develop into a quality death-over specialist for the country.

10. Siddarth Kaul – Sunrisers Hyderabad

When you end the tournament as the third highest wicket-taker of the season, there isn’t much that you’ve done wrong in the proceedings. The same can be said for Siddarth Kaul, who had nothing short of a sensational series this year for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The feisty pacer formed a lethal duo with Rashid Khan and their pace-spin combination left the opposition batsmen gaping in wonder.

Kaul bagged 21 scalps in 17 matches for his team and his spell of 3/23 in his quota of 4 overs against the Mumbai Indians was something magical that he’s bound to cherish forever. The pacer, who’d been a part of the 2008 U-19 World Cup winning Indian team under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, was thoroughly impressive and almost made us forget that he had stepped into the tournament as an uncapped player.

11. Ankit Rajpoot – Kings XI Punjab

24 year-old fast-medium bowler, Ankit Rajpoot was lapped up by the KXIP after a heated bidding tussle with the KKR, for a gargantuan price of INR 3 crores. His base price had been INR 30 lakhs. Rajpoot upheld the faith that had been shown in him by the Punjab franchise and emerged as one of the best bowlers of the entire tournament in 2018.

Rajpoot hit the deck consistently and troubled the batsmen with his uncompromising pace. He took 11 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 20.27. In what might be termed as his biggest achievement, Ankit Rajpoot ranks at the top of the list of best bowling figures of IPL 2018 for his performance against the SRH where he raked in a five-wicket haul, while conceding just 14 runs in 4 overs.