The recently concluded 14th edition of the Indian T20 League had all the necessary ingredients needed to call it a potboiler. An interrupted season was finally fought to its conclusion months later in a completely different environment. The change in the venue didn’t change the unpredictable nature of the game and the fans were still up for the thrills and spills they have got used to.

Quite impressively, it was also a season that coincided with the emergence of a number of young talents who took center stage, helping their teams reach newer heights. Some were good with the bat, some with the ball, and some with their all-round skills. They were equally good on the field too, saving runs with exceptional athleticism and even taking exceptional catches to turn the tide of the match in their favor. Their performances gave fantasy cricket game lovers much to think about.

The biggest advantage of selecting such new yet talented players while selecting teams on different fantasy apps is that they usually cost less but earn you more points. Given the 100-point limit for selecting a team, these young guns are the ones that let you gain advantage over your competitors and help you win cash prizes too.

Here we take a look at 5 budding cricketers who impressed in the recently concluded edition of the Indian T20 League:

1. Ruturaj Gaikwad

24-year-old Gaikwad is still new to the Indian T20 League scene but is a star already, having played a crucial role in helping the Chennai team win their 4th title. Being given the job of opening the innings, Gaikwad played his role well by finishing with 635 runs, the highest in the tournament, and thus winning the Orange Cap. He was also given the Emerging Player of the Year award.

Gaikwad beat his opening partner Faf Du Plessis by just 2 runs to finish at the top of the pile. His maiden Indian T20 League century against the Rajasthan team went a long way in helping him win the Orange Cap. The Pune-born player had a strike rate of 136.26 over the course of the entire season, suggesting that he is not shy of hitting the ball big. All possibilities now indicate that Gaikwad is one of the biggest stars in the making.

2. Harshal Patel

The Gujarat-born seamer was a revelation this season, winning the Purple Cap by some distance. His perfect sense of line and length gave a lot of well-reputed batters a run for their money. Though he burst into the Indian T20 League quite a few years ago, he never got the chance to make his mark in the team as his economy rate was a tinge on the higher side.

However, Patel rectified his mistakes, finishing the season with 32 wickets from 15 matches, averaging 14.34. in the process, he beat his nearest competitor Avesh Khan by as many as 8 wickets. His maiden 5-wicket haul came against Mumbai in the first match of the season. Featuring in all of Bangalore’s 15 games this season, Patel finished with an impressive 8.14 economy rate and had a strike rate of 10.56. 

Patel also has the ability to contribute with the bat down the order and can hit the ball all around the park.

3.   Avesh Khan

Despite being given his Indian T20 League break back in 2017 with the Bangalore team, Avesh Khan had to wait until 2021 to make his mark in the competition. He was one of the brightest players for the Delhi team, helping them reach the play-offs.

He finished the season with 24 wickets from 16 matches, only second behind eventual Purple Cap winner Harshal Patel. Khan had an impressive 7.37 economy rate to go along with that. His spell of 3/13 against the Kolkata team was one of the most economical spells of the season.

4. Devdutt Padikkal

Another 21-year-old, Devdutt Padikkal had announced his intention to outlive the test of time when he arrived at the Indian T20 League scene last year. Getting his chances at the top of the order, the left-handed batter ended the 2020 campaign with 473 runs at an average of 31.53 and a strike rate of 124.80.

This year was even more special as he got the chance to score his first century in the tournament. The youngster was part of a match-winning 181-run partnership as the Bangalore team beat the Rajasthan team by 10 wickets. His 411 runs this season consisted of 44 boundaries and 22 sixes. That helped in increasing his strike rate a little bit.

5. Ravi Bishnoi

At the age of just 21, Bishnoi looks to be one of the brightest prospects for the Indian national team. The young leg-spinner from Rajasthan finished the campaign with an impressive economy rate of 6.34, coming 7th on the list of most economical bowlers who bowled the most number of overs this season.

He didn’t get that many chances during the India leg of the competition but showed everyone what he is capable of when the second leg started in Dubai. He finished the season with 12 wickets from just 9 matches. Bishnoi is known to have a good temperament and is not easily unsettled when he is hit over the park on a couple of occasions.

Players like the ones mentioned above are meant to make your fantasy cricket experience even more exciting. With the genre gaining in popularity by the day, more and more fantasy apps are bursting into the scene, helping to make it even more attractive for fantasy users.

A trusted fantasy cricket app like Howzat gives you just about all you need. There are daily bonuses and exciting offers to keep you hooked to the game. The chance to lock horns with legendary cricketers such as Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Irfan Pathan makes things even more thrilling. You can download the Howzat fantasy app and start enjoying fantasy cricket right away. Happy gaming!