IPL 2021 Phase 2: The pull-outs of foreign players will expectedly create havoc in IPL franchises when the 2nd Phase resumes in the UAE on September 19. As England & Bangladesh have already ruled out players besides Australia still mulling over a potential pullout, it will pave the way for some youngsters to take advantage of the situation and prove their worth. The likes of Chetan Sakariya, Shahrukh Khan or Devdutt Padikkal will have the opportunity to steal the limelight once again.
The 1st half of IPL saw some commendable performances from youngsters who stole the show from the established stars of the game. With many foreign stars set to be absent from The IPL 2021 Phase 2 in the UAE with international commitments, franchises will be forced to rely on youngsters in their absence. Here at InsideSport, we take a look at youngsters who will likely to take hog the limelight.
Chetan Sakariya (RR): Young Chetan Sakariya of Rajasthan Royals has already proven to be a star. In a difficult year, he has performed well above expectations and even earned an ODI cap and did well against Sri Lanka. With Mustafizur Rahman set to be absent along with Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, it will be an opportunity for Chetan Sakariya to cement his place in the Rajasthan Royals squad.
- In IPL 2021, he bagged 7 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 31.71.
- For India against Sri Lanka, he returned with two wickets on debut in exchange for just 34 runs in eight overs.
- He will be eager to prove his worth and cement his place.
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Abdul Samad (SRH): Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Abdul Samad proved he could be the next star with 111 runs from 12 matches in IPL 2020. While the runs may seem less, that he scored those while facing just 65 balls at a staggering 170.76 strike rate, says a lot about his potential. In the IPL 2021, his opportunities remained limited with just 4 matches but with many stars including Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy set to be unavailable, Abdul Samad will get his chance to prove his worth and he could light the stage on fire with his powerful strokes. He showed a glimpse of that against KKR in IPL 2021 with 19 off just 8 balls.
Rahul Chahar (MI): Mumbai Indians’ 22-year-old leg-spinner is another gem that the franchise is grooming. He has already become a reliable leg-spinner for Team India and for Mumbai Indians with wickets in middle-overs. In the IPL 2021 Phase 1, after a thrashing against RCB, he came back strongly against Chennai Super Kings and returned with 4 wickets for only 27 runs. He is already gunning for the Purple Cap with 11 wickets in 7 matches and could be a game-changer in Phase 2.
Devdutt Padikkal (RCB): In the last two seasons, Devdutt Padikkal has set the stage on fire already. He has proven to be a big game material and has been knocking in Team India’s door. That the RCB opener is already being considered for the Test team says a lot about his potential. In List A, he has an average of 86.68 and in T20s, he has averaged 43.11. In the IPL, he has been impressive with a century to his name apart from a brilliant 33.40 average. With Phase 2 set to begin, he will be the youngster to watch out for.
Shahrukh Khan (PBKS): For Punjab Kings’ own Shahrukh Khan, Phase 1 of IPL 2021 was a rather testing period. As he was still learning the basics of a big tournament. But Shahrukh Khan, who has the potential to be India’s Kieron Pollard as per coach Anil Kumble, Phase 2 will be the time to prove his worth and announce himself to the world. With match practice in TNPL 2021, he will be ready to put up some big scores in Punjab’s middle order in absence of Dawid Malan.
