IPL Emerging Player of the Year 2008-2019 winners - Where are they now?

The biggest revolution to take place in Cricket in the last few decades has been the establishment of the Indian Premier League. The IPL was the brainchild of Lalit Modi who wanted to bring the club system prevalent in sports like basketball and baseball into cricket.

India winning the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 acted as the catalyst and the IPL came into existence in 2008. Since then IPL has transformed the way cricket is played across the world and today even has a separate window where no other international cricket is played to accommodate maximum overseas players who are all interested in playing in the IPL.

The IPL started with a lot of fanfare surrounded by a lot of glam and glitz. It was one of a kind experience for fans where they could watch their favourite players from different nations playing together. The popularity of the IPL has since just increased manifold every single year and today it stands as perhaps the most popular cricketing event in the world.

While the initial attraction of the IPL was to watch legends play together, it has slowly moved on to providing a platform for youngsters to showcase their talent and live up to their motto of “Where talent meets opportunity”, also inscribed on the IPL Trophy.

Every year an award, currently called the “IPL Emerging Player of the Year” is given to a promising youngster who has been able to impress one and all. While the award has had different names over the years, the purpose of it remains to recognise outstanding performances from young talents.

The criteria to be eligible for this award are as follows:

Should be less than 25 years of age, Should have played less than 5 Test matches or 20 ODIs, Should have played less than 25 IPL matches before the current season, Should not have won the ‘Emerging Player of the Year Award’ in any earlier season.

Let’s now have a look at all the past winners of this award and see where the early impetus of winning the award has taken their careers:

1. Shreevats Goswami-2008

The aggressive keeper-batsman from West Bengal won in the first season without really setting the IPL on fire. He was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and despite scoring just 82 runs in 4 matches at a strike rate of 96.47, was deemed worthy to be awarded the ‘Best U19 Player’ award.

After the first season, he did not really get a lot of chances in the IPL and till date has played just 29 games, failing to impress in the limited chances he got. The meteoric rise of MS Dhoni and presence of wicketkeepers like Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel also hurt Goswami’s chances of breaking into the Indian team.

Goswami has been a decent domestic player. He has amassed 2534 runs at an average of 30.5 in 55 games in first-class cricket.  He has not had a single breakthrough season in the last 12 years, and unfortunately, it seems he is going to end up one amongst the many talented youngsters who had a promising start to their career but could not capitalize.

2. Rohit Sharma-2009

The Mumbai-born batsman Rohit Sharma is easily the biggest and most successful cricketer to have been conferred with this award which was now termed as the ‘Best U23 Player’ award. Rohit Sharma before playing for the now-defunct Deccan Chargers from 2008-2010, had already made his India debut and been a part of the successful World Cup-winning T20 side.

He was touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket and had an excellent season in 2009 not only amassing 362 runs in 16 games but also contributing with the ball, picking up 11 wickets and being a vital cog in the wheel for the Chargers, who emerged champions.

After that wonderful stint with Deccan Chargers till 2010, Rohit Sharma moved to Mumbai Indians in 2011 and took over the captaincy in 2013 which was a career-defining moment for him. Today, under Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians is the most successful IPL team with 4 titles and Rohit Sharma himself is the third-highest run-getter of all time with 4898 runs.

Rohit Sharma is today one of the best limited-overs players in the world with 9115 runs in ODIs with 29 tons and is the second highest run-getter in T20Is with 2773 runs and four hundreds. He is also slowly establishing his place in the Test squad as well. He has used his talent and transformed it into performance and utilised the platform provided by IPL to go from being a talented prodigy to one of the greatest modern-day batsmen.

3. Saurabh Tiwary-2010

Looked at upon as the next sensation after Dhoni, not just because of his long locks but also his ability to strike the ball far, Saurabh Tiwari was a part of the Mumbai Indians when he was awarded the ‘Best U23 Player’ award in 2010. He had a phenomenal season scoring 419 runs in 16 games at a strike rate of 136. He had been a part of the U19 World Cup-winning squad in 2008 and this performance brought him into the limelight.

Following his stellar season, he was given an ODI call up but ended up playing just 3 games and was never picked again for the national team. Nevertheless, he was sold at a hefty price of USD 1.6 million to Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011 but failed to live up to the hype and expectations of the price tag.

His dip in form was followed by disciplinary and fitness issues and though he was picked by teams like Delhi and even Mumbai again he failed to display his form of 2010 in the following seasons and slowly faded away.

Currently, Tiwari plies his trade in domestic cricket for Jharkhand and has been rather consistent over the last few years, having amassed 6975 runs at an average of 47.1. in 100 games. He was picked by Mumbai Indians once again for 2020 edition and he would be hoping to get a few games in.

4. Iqbal Abdullah-2011

Abdullah, a wily left-arm spinner from Mumbai, played for Kolkata Knight Riders from 2008-2013. He had a breakout season in 2011, picking up 16 wickets in 15 games, impressing everyone with his guile and temperament. Abdullah had also been the leading wicket-taker in 2008 U19 World Cup and winning the now called ‘Rising Star of the Year’ award was surely a shot in the arm.

However, apart from that one season, like Tiwary, Abdullah couldn’t produce consistent performances.  He has played just 30 games since 2011 picking up 23 wickets. The emergence of Ravindra Jadeja, who had similar skill sets, pushed Abdullah down the pecking order and he never got a chance to represent the country in the senior team.

Abdullah last played IPL in 2017 for Royal Challengers Bangalore and has been without a contract ever since. He continues to grind it out in domestic cricket. He shifted bases from Mumbai to Kerala for the 2016 season of the Ranji Trophy and then to Sikkim in the 2019 season. He has picked up 213 wickets in 68 first-class matches and though an Indian call up looks unlikely in the near future, he continues to be an important player for his domestic teams.

5. Mandeep Singh-2012

The talented middle-order batsman was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2010 but shifted base to Kings XI Punjab for the 2011 season. He got a handful of opportunities in the first couple of seasons but came into his own in 2012 top-scoring for Punjab with 432 runs in 16 games and picking up the ‘Rising Star of the Year’ award. He was a flamboyant batsman with a good temperament and looking like a good Team India prospect.

Unfortunately, his 2012 season was followed by two lukewarm seasons with Punjab, where he barely got chances in 2014. His shift to Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2015 opened up the floodgates for him and after playing few match-winning innings in the 2015 season he was handed the T20 international cap in 2016. He scored 87 in 3 games including a 50 but was dropped soon after.

Mandeep had a regular run with RCB from 2015-2018 but couldn’t produce anything spectacular and the emergence of more explosive middle-order batsmen meant Mandeep didn’t get any further chances with the Indian team.

In 2019, Mandeep returned to Kings XI Punjab. He had a decent 2019 season, scoring 165 runs in 13 games with a strike rate of 137. Along with playing in the IPL, he is also the skipper for Punjab in first-class cricket and has amassed 5316 runs in 78 games at an impressive average of 47.5. The 28-year old has age on his side and will be hoping for a couple of big seasons with Punjab to help him make his case for the national reckoning.

6. Sanju Samson-2013

The talented batsman from Kerala was picked by KKR for the 2012 season but didn’t play a single game. His move to Rajasthan Royals in 2013 paid handsome dividends for the franchise wherein his very first season, he bagged the ‘Best Young Player of the Season’ award scoring 206 runs in 11 games. He played fearlessly and also did a good job behind the wickets.

He had a couple of good seasons with Rajasthan Royals and grew in reputation and was handed a T20I cap in 2015. But unfortunately, he played just a game and was never picked again for the next five years. He had to shift his base to Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in 2016 due to the interim banning of Rajasthan Royals.

Samson scored his maiden IPL ton in 2017, at the time being the second youngest to achieve the milestone. He was bought back by Rajasthan in 2018 for a hefty price of 8cr and has since justified his price tag having scored almost 800 runs in the last two seasons including another ton.

Samson can consider himself unlucky to have been given extremely few chances over the course of the past few years. The likes of Rishabh Pant have been favoured a lot more. He has a decent first-class record of 3162 runs at an average of 37.6 in 55 games but those numbers don’t do justice to his potential.

But things are looking up for him. He was recalled into the Indian team earlier this year and though he didn’t put in any noteworthy performance in the 3 games he played, a good IPL season going forward is sure to propel him to the top of the pecking order and he could go on to have a great career.

7. Axar Patel-2014

The lanky all-rounder from Gujarat was a part of Mumbai Indians in 2013 but played his first season for Punjab in 2014. In his very first season, he displayed a lot of maturity and picked up 17 wickets in 17 games at a stunning economy of 6.13 and was rightly awarded the ‘Emerging Player of the Year’ award. He was a crucial member of the Punjab squad which reached its first-ever final in that season.

Following his impressive performance, he got an ODI call-up in a couple of months itself and a T20I call up in 2015. He was also a part of the 2015 World Cup squad. Till date, he has played 38 ODIs picking up 45 wickets and 11 T20Is with 9 victims. He continued churning out consistent performances for Punjab even upping his game with the bat till he was picked up by Delhi Capitals in 2019.

The revival of Ravindra Jadeja in limited-overs cricket and emergence of another option in Krunal Pandya coupled with his diminishing returns has put Patel out of favour. But the 26-year-old who has also picked up 134 wickets in 39 first-class games would be hoping to have a couple of strong seasons with Delhi which would put him back in the reckoning.

8. Shreyas Iyer-2015

Shreyas Iyer, a bright prospect from Mumbai was picked up by Delhi Capitals in 2015 and he took home the award after a fantastic season. He had a lot of expectations riding on him as he was looked upon as the next sensation from Mumbai and he didn’t disappoint. He scored 439 runs in 16 games and was the shining light in Delhi’s otherwise disappointing campaign.

Barring a majorly disappointing 2016 season, Iyer has been very consistent for Delhi and a good run of form got him his first ODI and T20I cap in 2017. However, he could not perform as consistently at the international level and was dropped soon. He has however turned things around in the last year or so.

He was appointed the captain of Delhi Capitals mid-season in 2018 and then led them to the playoffs in 2019. Shreyas also made his national comeback after the 2019 World Cup and this time around he has been able to cement his spot in the team. He has scored 748 runs in 18 games in ODIs at a very impressive average of almost 50 while in T20Is, he has 417 runs in 22 games.

Things are looking up for Iyer who has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket as well with 4592 runs in 54 games at an average of 52.2. He is being looked upon as one of the future pillars of Indian cricket and his IPL stint as captain under the guidance of Ricky Ponting is sure to hold him in good stead. Iyer is sure to be one of the star batsmen in the coming years.

9. Mustafizur Rahman- 2016

The ‘Fizz’ as he is fondly referred to, Mustafizur was the first overseas player to win the Emerging player of the year award in 2016 when representing Sunrisers Hyderabad he picked up 17 wickets at a miserly economy of 6.9 and was one of their most important players in their IPL title triumph.

Rahman made his debut in 2015 in all formats and stunned the cricketing world by picking up 13 wickets in 3 ODIs against India in his debut series which helped Bangladesh upset India 2-1. After an impressive T20 World Cup where he picked 9 wickets, he went on to play for Sunrisers in 2016.

However, due to recurring injuries, he could play only 1 game for them in 2017 and was then picked up by Mumbai Indians in 2018. His injuries remained unresolved and following a disappointing 2018 season, he hasn’t had an IPL contract since the last couple of years.

Mustafizur, who has featured in 13 Tests picking up 28 wickets, 58 ODIs scalping 109 victims and 41 T20Is with 58 wickets, is still only 24. While he has lost a bit of pace due to injuries and is still grappling with them, he still has enough time to come back stronger and have a successful career for Bangladesh as well as one in the IPL.

10. Basil Thampi-2017

Pacers who bowl in excess of 140 km/h are a rare commodity in India. Basil Thampi making his debut for a new team Gujarat Lions in 2017 put in a thundering performance, picking up 11 wickets in 12 games, but at consistent high speeds to bag the Emerging Player of the Year award.

After a great first season, he was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018. In the midst of a lot of Indian fast bowling talent in the Hyderabad squad, Thampi got limited opportunities and really couldn’t capitalise on them. Due to the rise of the likes of Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur in the last couple of years, he has gone down in the pecking order.

Thampi who has played 35 first-class games picking up 79 wickets is currently playing for Kerala in the domestic circuit. He will surely be looking to get more opportunities for the Sunrisers in the coming future and showcase to the world the pace he possesses and climb up the ladder because with his talent and ability it surely looks like he’s one for the future.

11. Rishabh Pant-2018

After setting the U19 World Cup on fire, scoring a swashbuckling 78 off 24 balls in a league game, Pant was a hot commodity in the 2016 Auction and was picked up for INR 1.9 crore by Delhi Daredevils. He scored 198 runs in 10 games at an impressive strike rate of 130 and his aggressive and free-flowing style of cricket was what caught everyone’s attention which made him a worthy awardee of the emerging player of the year award.

Pant had made his first-class debut in 2015 but it was after the IPL stint that he really started making an impact. He had a breakthrough Ranji 2016-2017 season where he scored a triple hundred as well the fastest Ranji hundred ever off just 48 balls. He made his T20I debut in early 2017 but started getting regular chances 2018 onwards.

He has stellar IPL numbers having gone from strength to strength and was the second-highest run-getter in 2018 scoring 684 runs in just 14 games which included a 128*. He had an extremely successful 2018 where he also became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score 100s in England and Australia. However, his questionable shot selections and over-eagerness to play the big shots right away have led to him being inconsistent at the international level.

Rishabh Pant has played 13 Tests scoring 814 runs, 16 ODIs with 374 runs and 28 T20Is with 410 runs. He hasn’t been able to translate his IPL form into international form and as things stand today, KL Rahul is now being preferred over him as a wicketkeeping option in limited-overs and Wriddhiman Saha in Tests.

After a promising start, Pant is at a crucial stage where he could easily fizzle away. He would surely be looking to have another successful IPL and prove his critics wrong because, with his ridiculous talent, he has the potential to become one of the most fearsome batsmen in the near future.

12. Shubman Gill-2019

The short arm jab Shubman Gill played in the 2018 U19 World Cup drew comparisons with Virat Kohli. As a matter of fact, his consistent performances also were of the standards of Kohli as he was awarded Man of the Tournament in their title-winning run.

He played his first season for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018 but didn’t get a lot of opportunities at the top of the order but he certainly showcased his class. In 2019, he got a more consistent run at the top and he scored 296 runs in 14 games with 3 half-centuries, rightfully taking home the Emerging Player of the Year award.

Gill has been in prolific form in first-class cricket amassing 2133 runs in just 21 games at an average of 73.5. His performance was rewarded when he was handed an ODI call up earlier this year in New Zealand and played two games, though without much contribution scoring just 16.

These are still early days for the young lad from Punjab, and with a couple of good IPL seasons, he is surely going to get a consistent rune in the Indian team. He is all of 20, and with a sound head over his shoulders, he looks to be someone who is going to follow in the footsteps of Rohit Sharma and really make it big in international cricket.