The Indian Premier League (IPL), in the past, has served as a trampoline for many youngsters to soar into hitherto unchartered terrains such as fame, money, and in certain instances, International cricket. Here are a few players who could go on to savour the spotlight in IPL-V:
Richard Levi (Mumbai Indians), Age: 24:
During the Champions League T20 in September last year, Dale Steyn, Herschelle Gibbs, and J.P. Duminy — in India to represent the South African franchise Cape Cobras — were asked who the most exciting player in their team was. Their reply was spontaneous and unequivocal: Richard Levi.
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The brawny opener clobbered his way into cricketing consciousness recently with the fastest century in T20 Internationals. The 51-ball-117 against New Zealand had IPL franchises — which ignored him in the February auctions — loosening their purse strings. However, it was Mumbai Indians that eventually snapped up Levi.
Dinesh Chandimal (Rajasthan Royals), Age: 22:
Anointed the ‘next big thing' in Sri Lankan cricket, Dinesh Chandimal has made all the right moves in his brief International career thus far. Chandimal has aligned sound technique with an ability to absorb pressure. His bumper run in Australia was a direct result of these attributes.
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For the Royals, Chandimal's proficiency with the wicket-keeping gloves makes him a value-for-money acquisition ($50,000). He is one for the future and will be crucial to Rajasthan's fortunes this year.
Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders), Age: 23:
A slightly-built off-spinner with no flashy quirks, Sunil Narine appears no different than most other tweakers. The potency of his craft, as batsmen discovered in the Champions League last year, lies in subtlety. The Trinidadian's tally of 10 wickets at an economy rate of 4.37 didn't go unnoticed by the IPL bosses either. An impressive showing against Australia in the limited-overs series at home earned him a fat paycheque of $700,000 from KKR.
Narine, who doesn't possess a central contract, has some tough decisions to make if he's selected for the Test series against Australia, the schedule of which clashes with the IPL.
Rahul Sharma (Pune Warriors), Age: 25:
After quelling the demons of Bell's palsy, Rahul Sharma surpassed all expectations to make an impression in IPL-IV. He scalped 16 wickets conceding only 5.46 runs an over, emerging as the lone sparkle of resistance in an otherwise sordid season for Pune.
He soon made his International debut and impressed in the limited opportunities he got. Sharma will have a bigger part to play as an attacking spin option for his franchise this year.
Ajinkya Rahane (Rajasthan Royals), Age: 23:
Ajinkya Rahane's batting has steadily acquired a nuanced sheen over a period of time. Endowed with composed stroke-play and an inventive mind, Rahane will be required to tailor his approach in accordance to the varying stages of the game.
Notwithstanding an indifferent IPL last year, the youngster would be skipper Rahul Dravid's go-to man in ensuring a stable, yet commanding, base at the top of the order.
While Rahane has had a good start to International cricket, a noteworthy IPL could keep him in the selectors' radar for the World T20.
Thisara Perera (Mumbai Indians), Age: 22:
Gauging the value of some players by the weight of statistics would prove futile. Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera could be slotted in such a category. Not that his numbers are bad, but his calling card lies in that intangible entity — impact.
His unbeaten, whirlwind 22 off nine balls in the final of the World Cup last year is ample evidence. Also, his stifling seamers carry much greater danger than what they hint at. In the company of Keiron Pollard, Perera could be the ace in the hole for Mumbai.
Other youngsters who could tick:Iqbal Abdulla, Suryakumar Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, and Vijay Zol.