There’s no doubt that the IPL fever is on. In a political amped up 2019, India’s love for cricket seems to be the only pop culture phenomenon giving the citizens a viable respite.
Despite being BCCI’s golden goose, one can’t deny that IPL is a massive opportunity for any upcoming talent. By throwing in young players along with the more experienced lot, this platform does help young athletes showcase and strengthen their skills. Moreover, it’s such a monumental feat for any young player to be playing the country’s favourite sport under the national limelight.
This is why we want to honour these young guns. Here are some of the youngest players this IPL from each team:
Prayas Ray Barman, 16.
Youngest player of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad, this 16-year-old was bought for 1.5 crores. He moved from Delhi, leaving his family behind to pursue his cricketing career under better coaches in Kolkata. He was noticed by the IPL scouts during the Vijay Hazare trophy, and thus, life took a turn for this young athlete.
Rasikh Salam Dhar, 17.
This 17-year-old pacer comes from a small village Ashmuji in Kulgaam district of South Kashmir. Rasikh is the second player from Jammu & Kashmir to play in IPL, other being Pervez Rasool, the off-spinner who played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Pune Warriors India. Rasikh is the youngest ever debut at Mumbai Indians.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 17.
Mujeeb was 16 years old when he joined Kings XI Punjab and still remains to be the team’s youngest player. Since the last season, he has been proving himself as a worthy opponent even for the most established of batsmen. An Afghan cricketer, Mujeeb also plays for the Afghanistan national team and was in fact the first male to play international cricket who was born in the 21st Century. However, the spinner recently injured his shoulder during the warm-up with Punjab’s match with Rajasthan Royals this Tuesday.
Sandeep Lamichhane, 18.
Delhi Capitals do have a rather young squad with the likes of Manjor Karla, Prithivi Shaw and Rishabh Pant, but this 18-year-old is youngest of them all. Hailing from Nepal, this leg-spinner has played several leagues all over the world including last year’s IPL. This young player recently made a plea to ICC to expand the World Cup from 10 teams to 16.
Kamlesh Nagarkoti, 19.
This young player was in Kolkata Knight Riders last year but succumbed to injury and couldn’t showcase his talent. However, things seem different for the pace bowler this year. Some even consider him a promising prospect for the pace bowling department for the country. Kamlesh even has a hat-trick under his belt during his match in Vijay Hazare Tournament in Rajasthan. But sadly it was announced that he had to be ruled out due to his back injuries.
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