The IPL emerging player award is an award given to young players for their brilliant efforts in one of the toughest tournaments in the world. IPL, as we all know is a tournament where some of the best players play, and for a youngster, it is a perfect opportunity for them to showcase their brilliant skills.
To play amongst some of the best players in the world, will be a dream come true for many of the players, but not everyone’s story ends up well. There are some players, even with all the potential, who did not have that extra x-factor to crack into the big stage.
Today we will be looking at the past winners of the IPL emerging player award, and if they have lived up to their potential. (PS we have not considered the last two winners of the award, because they are still very young and is still learning the trade)
THE WONDER KIDS OF IPL AND IF THEY LIVED UP TO THEIR POTENTIAL
Shreevats Goswami:
Goswami was the first recipient of the IPL emerging player award, back in 2008. There were some real true young stars in that tournament, and to be selected as the best emerging player might have meant a lot to him.
Goswami was playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, and that season he had an impressive performance with the bat. He went to play with RCB for another 2 seasons, after which he was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders. He spent two seasons with them and had mixed performances in each season. He currently plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He has laid a total of 31 matches in the IPL and has scored 293 runs.
Goswami is a regular in the domestic scene and has represented Bengal since 2008. He is yet to play for the national side, and thus I think it would be safe to say, Goswami has not truly lived up to his potential.
Rohit Sharma:
Do I need to say anything? Rohit Sharma is considered by many to be one of the greatest ever players, and also he is the most successful IPL player and captain as well.
Rohit won this award while playing for Deccan Chargers. In that season, Sharma played 16 matches and scored 315 runs. He was extremely instrumental in the Deccan Chargers maiden trophy win. After a successful spell with DC, he was picked up by Mumbai Indians, and the rest is history.
Rohit is also the vice-captain of the national side and is one of the first names on the team sheet. He has single-handedly won many matches for India, and he is one player who exceeded all expectations.
Saurabh Tiwary:
Saurabh Tiwary won this award in the 2010 edition of the tournament. He was playing for Mumbai Indians that season, and let me say, he played some really impressive knocks. He played 16 matches for Mumbai and scored an impressive 419 runs, with a top score of 61. After spending 3 seasons with Mumbai, Tiwari later went on the play for RCB, Delhi Daredevil, and the Rising Pune Supergiants, before returning back to Mumbai, with whom he since been. Tiwari couldn’t emulate his 2010 form, and since then, has struggled to hold a position in the main 11.
On the international stage, Tiwari has made one appearance for India, which was against Australia. If you ask me whether Tiwari fulfilled his potential? I would have to say no. Because there was so much more this man could have achieved, but still what he has achieved so far is really impressive.
Iqbal Abdulla:
Abdulla burst onto the scene during the 2011 edition of the tournament and his ability to bowl some really confusing spin balls, earned him a lot of praise. Iqbal played 15 matches for KKR and picked up 16 wickets, which was absolutely insane at that moment. Iqbal, however, could not carry that momentum forward, and because of that fell out of favor at a lot of teams. He last played for RCB in the 2017 edition of the IPL.
Iqbal is still the main player for Mumbai in the Domestic Leagues but compared to what he could have achieved, he has not fulfilled his potential.
Mandeep Singh:
The Punjab-born batsman was probably Kings XI Punjab’s best player during the 2012 edition of the tournament. He played 16 matches and scored an impressive 432 runs, with a high score of 75. His performance with the bat earned him a lot of praise. Similar to many of the other players on this list, he too couldn’t keep the momentum going, and after 4 years at Punjab, he joined RCB, where he was for another 4 seasons, before coming back to Punjab. He played his last game in the 2020 IPL, and he was not selected by any team for the 2021 IPL.
Mandeep, though however, did make his debut for India at the national level. He played 62 T20 games for them and was decent in most of them. He has a high score of 84. Mandeep didn’t reach his full potential, but he came very close, and still only 29 years of age, he still has a lot of time to left to prove his brilliance.
Sanju Samson:
Now, this is a bit tricky. Sanju is one of the best finishers of the game, and he has shown his ability to clear the ground, time and time again. But, his only issue would be consistency.
Sanju made his debut with KKR in 2012 but did not get much playing time. He was later acquired by Rajasthan ahead of the 2013 tournament, and things soon began to change. He played games and scored runs, and played some really crucial knocks. Sanju has also represented Delhi, before returning back to Rajasthan. He was made captain, ahead of the 2021 edition of the tournament.
Sanju has made appearances for India, at the T20 level and has performed well. He is only 26 years of age and there is still a lot left from him, but I would say he has lived up to his potential.
Axar Patel:
The tall left-arm all-rounder made his debut with Mumbai Indians, but it was with Punjab, he showed his true potential. During the 2014 edition of the tournament, Axar played 17 matches and picked up 17 wickets. Axar has only gone from strength to strength and has also impressed with the bat. He is currently with the Delhi Capitals, where is an extremely important player to the team.
Axar has represented India, in all 3 formats of the game, and is one of the team’s main all-rounders. Axar did live up to his true potential.
Shreyas Iyer:
Similar to Rohit, Shreyas also did live up to the hype. He won the emerging player award while playing for Delhi Capitals. He has been with them since 2015, and also captained them during the 2020 edition of the tournament. He guided Delhi to the finals, where they lost to Mumbai.
Shreyas is a regular in the International scene and has represented India in the T20 and ODI format. Many pundits have been tipped to be India’s next captain, but whether that happens or not remains to be seen. And I don’t think I need to mention if he lived up to his potential or not, we all know the answer.
Mustafizur Rahman:
The first non-Indian player to win this award. Mustafizur turned many heads during the 2016 IPL. He was with SRH, and he played all 16 games and picked up 17 wickets. He played a huge role in SRH’s title win. After that one brilliant season, Mustafizur couldn’t replicate the same form, but her not been bad.
Mustafizur is one of Bangladesh’s main players, and he is the man who leads their bowling. It is safe to say, Mustafizur did reach his full potential.
Basil Thampi:
Another speedster. Similar to Rahman, Thampi also turned many heads because of his raw speed. His breakout season with Gujarat was really impressive. he picked up 11 wickets from 12 games. However, Thampi disappointed after that, in the following season he bowled one of the most expensive overs in the whole tournament and has looked really out of place since then. Stull with SRH, Thampi has not lived up to the hype.
Rishabh Pant:
Considered to be one of the best young players, Pant still has a lot to prove, but so far he is on the right track. He has been with the Delhi Capitals since 2016 and was made captain ahead of the 2021 edition.
Pant has played for India on all 3 formats and is a really important player to the squad. If Pant carries on this way, he will also achieve way more than what people would have expected him to achieve.
These are the players who won the emerging player award, it will be interesting to see, if the past two winners can make a mark on the game or if they will fade away under all this limelight and glitter, but let’s hope for the best.
