The Indian Premier League (IPL) is known for producing gems over the years, and the IPL 2022 season has proven to be no different. This season, many IPL sides have introduced many new talents who have proven their mettle at domestic level. Although the season is still in a nascent stage, few players have already started to show their quality, opening the doors for a bright future for Indian cricket.
Listed below are five debutants who have kicked off the IPL with a bang:
Ayush Badoni (Lucknow Super Giants)
Starting as a bowler in junior level cricket, Ayush Badoni made it to India's Under-19 team in 2018. He was bought by newly-inducted side Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the base price of 20 lakhs, and his skipper KL Rahul believes that the youngster is a strong 360-degree player and an asset for white-ball cricket in India.
Badoni made his debut against the Gujarat Titans (GT), hitting a 41-ball 54 to lift his side to a respectable total in their first-ever IPL match. He then backed his skills against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with an unbeaten 19 off nine balls as the 22-year-old partnered with West Indian Evin Lewis to help their side to a massive 211-run total. In their last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), he played a handy knock before getting dismissed on the last ball.
Vaibhav Arora (Punjab Kings)
Vaibhav Arora was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad in IPL 2021, but did not get a chance to make his debut. His second shot has come with the Punjab Kings (PBKS), who bought the budding bowler for Rs 2 crores at the mega auction. His breakthrough came in the Ranji Trophy with Himachal Pradesh, including a brilliant 9/105 against Saurashtra on his debut in 2019.
The 24-year-old right-arm pacer rattled the CSK batting unit, dismissing their in-form opener Robin Uthappa in his first over, before scalping Moeen Ali for a duck as well. It was his debut game and the PBKS fans will hope to see more from the young pacer as they push for a playoff spot. Vaibhav also shares a special connection with another PBKS gem in Arshdeep Singh, having playing alongside the pacer since junior-level cricket.
Tilak Varma (Mumbai Indians)
Hyderabad-based youngster Tilak Varma has shown his abilities by breaking into the Mumbai Indians (MI) team who are known to produce future stars. Part of India's U-19 team in 2020, Tilak's performances at domestic level attracted the five-time IPL champions, and his start to life in the big leagues is nothing less than expected.
Tilak has 83 runs in the two games that Mumbai have played, including 33-ball 61 against Rajasthan Royals (RR). His half-century made him the the youngest MI player to score an IPL half-century at 19. Coming to bat at number four, Tilak and Ishan Kishan set up an 81-run partnership with three fours and five sixes in his kitty. Unfortunately, his efforts could not help the team get over the line.
Jitesh Sharma (Punjab Kings)
Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma broke into the Vidarbha senior side during the 2013-14 season, and also played in their 2013-14 Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign. During the 2015-16 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Jitesh scored 343 runs, the third-highest in the tournament. He made his Ranji Trophy debut in the 2015-16 season and then joined MI, who bought him for Rs 10 lakhs in the IPL 2016 auction, without playing a single game.
At 28, Jitesh might be considered a late bloomer with PBKS. A lot is expected from the explosive top-order batter who hit three sixes during an impressive knock of 26 runs off 17 balls, helping PBKS to 180/8 against CSK.
Abhinav Manohar Sadarangani (Gujarat Titans)
Known for his six-hitting ability, Manohar came into focus after Hardik Pandya-led Titans spent Rs 2.6 crores at the mega auction. The Karnataka-based batter, shot to fame with his exploits in the Karnataka Premier League and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for his state.
Manohar was one of the Titans' better players in their opening game against LSG. Partnering with Rahul Tewatia, the 27-year-old hit Delhi Capitals' Avesh Khan in the final over to help his side to a win with two balls remaining. Although he scored just 15 runs, it was a crucial innings that helped the Titans to their first win in the IPL.
