Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has named five (six) Indian players who, in his opinion, will make a big name for themselves in the cash-rich Indian Premier League in the coming years. However, the 50-year-old former Indian captain, who also served as BCCI President until last year, has left out Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals), Ishan Kishan (Mumbai Indians), and Shreyas Iyer from his list (Kolkata Knight Riders). Sanju, Ishan, and Iyer have been playing in the IPL for a long time and are important members of their respective franchises. While Samson and Iyer lead the RR and KKR, respectively, Ishan was MI’s leading run-scorer in the IPL last year.
Instead of these three, the five youngsters that Ganguly believes will make a big name include the Delhi Capitals duo of Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant, Chennai Super Kings opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, Gujarat Titans batter Shubman Gill, and Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Umran Malik. In addition to these five players, Ganguly, who has previously played for KKR and Pune Warriors India, included Mumbai Indians star Suryakumar Yadav and gave him a special mention.
Ganguly stated on the Star Sports show, “Suryakumar Yadav is the best in the business. Obviously, you don’t consider him a youngster anymore, but among the young players, I believe Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant have a lot of talent in the T20 format. He is only 23 years old (25). He has the world at his feet; Rishabh Pant is ranked second. I’d keep an eye on Ruturaj Gaikwad to see how he progresses. These are, I believe, the three batsmen. Umran Malik, with his genuine pace, will most likely continue to keep fans interested in the game if he stays fit.”
Harbhajan Singh, a former Indian spinner, appeared on the show and asked his former captain, “Dada, how about Shubman Gill?”
And Ganguly added him to the list, saying, “Yes, that’s the name that slipped my mind. But I believe Shubman Gill would be my fifth player. So, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Surya, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Umran Malik, and Shubman Gill are on the list.”
Gill has been on a roll recently. He has four centuries and one fifty in 12 white-ball matches played so far in 2023.
