The schedule for IPL 2021 was released a few days back and it is all set to start on the 9th of April when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Mumbai Indians in Chennai. The 14th edition of the league promises to be an exciting one like previous 13 ones and fans can’t wait for it to begin. Most of the squads looks well balanced on paper and we can once again have a thrilling playoffs race.
There is a good mix of youth and experience as is the case in every season. Old warhorses like Chris Gayle and Imran Tahir continue to impress while we have also seen the rise of several youngsters like Devdutt Padikkal and Shubman Gill in recent years. Every team has some players who are nearing the end of their long careers and there are other players who are just getting started in the world of cricket. Therefore, let’s take a look at-
Youngest and oldest player from each IPL team
1.Chennai Super Kings
Oldest- Imran Tahir
Imran Tahir isn’t just the oldest player in the CSK camp, but he is also the oldest player in the league this season. He is currently 41 years of age and will soon turn 42 on the 27th of March. He even won the Purple Cap in the 2019 season when he picked up 26 wickets, but was surprisingly benched for most of the previous campaign.
However, with the IPL back in India, he might have a much bigger role this season and given that they struggled to pick up wickets on a regular basis last season, he will surely play more games.
Tahir has picked up 80 wickets in just 58 IPL matches at a terrific strike rate of 16.15 and even his economy rate of 7.83 is pretty good. The South African hasn’t shown any significant signs of slowing down and lets hope we get to see his famous celebration on quite a few occasions this season.
Youngest- Bhagath Varma
Bhagath Varma is yet to really establish himself in the cricketing world as he hasn’t even made his domestic debut. The 22-year-old bowling allrounder was bought for Rs.20 Lakh by CSK and it will be a great opportunity for the youngster to improve his skills. He is from Hyderabad and was also a part of their squad during the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
2. Delhi Capitals
Oldest- Amit Mishra
Amit Mishra is one of the few players to have participated in each of the 13 IPL seasons, and he will also be in action during the upcoming season. He turned 38 in November 2020 and we might be able to see the former SRH player for only one or two more seasons.
The leg spinner will go down as one of the unluckiest Indian cricketers as his opportunities were limited by the success of 2 spin duos from different generations. First, it was legends Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, and then it was Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
He has picked up 160 wickets in 150 games at a strike rate of 19.75 and concedes at just 7.34. He was looking in decent form last season before being ruled out due to injury. He will have to compete with Ishant Sharma for a place in the team, and it will most likely come down to the opposition and conditions. Mishra is the 2nd highest wicket taker in IPL history and there is a decent chance that he could overtake Lasith Malinga’s tally of 170 if he bowls well.
Youngest- Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw is the youngest player in DC’s squad and is just 21 years of age. Usually considered as one of India’s brightest young prospects, his career has taken a bit of a hit in the last few months.
After a good start to IPL 2020, his form quickly disappeared and he struggled to score runs. He scored 228 runs in 13 games at an average of 17.53 and didn’t look great even during the first Test against Australia. However, he has shown signs of regaining the form as he has scored three 100’s in the Vijay Hazare Trophy including a stunning 227* against Puducherry.
Shaw has scored 826 runs in 38 IPL games at an average of 21.73 at a strike rate of 139.76. The Mumbaikar will have to perform much better this season if he is looking forward to a comeback into the Indian squad and will have to compete with Ajinkya Rahane, who is also going through a rough patch, for a place in the team.
3. Kolkata Knight Riders
Oldest- Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh will return to action after missing the last season due to personal reasons. His last competitive game of cricket came in 2019 when he played against the Mumbai Indians in the IPL final, which CSK lost by one run.
The Punjab man is currently 40 years old and will turn 41 in June, just after the end of the season. He was bought by KKR for his base price of Rs.2 crore in the accelerated process after he went unsold initially.
He has picked up 150 wickets in 160 games at a strike rate of 22.49 while conceding at just 7.05. Harbhajan might initially find himself on the bench because of the fact he hasn’t played many games, but he could potentially come into the picture later on when the pitches become drier.
Youngest- Kamlesh Nagarkoti
Kamlesh Nagarkoti was a part of India’s victorious squad in the 2018 U19 World Cup and is one of 3 such players in KKR’s squad at present. He was highly impressive in that tournament and was expected to play an important role for his IPL franchise.
However, that wasn’t the case as injuries ruled him out of the next 2 seasons and he didn’t even play a single game. He was given opportunities in last the edition and he showed glimpses of the talent, that made such a highly rated prospect.
He played 10 games and picked up 5 wickets while conceding at 8.88 and will be looking to put in a better showing this season. The likes of Shivam Mavi and Prasidh Krishna will compete for the same spot as him, and it will be interesting to see if the 20-year-old will begin the tournament as a starter.
4. Mumbai Indians
Oldest- Rohit Sharma
Mumbai Indians’ oldest player is their captain, Rohit Sharma himself. He is less than 15 days older than their vice-captain, Kieron Pollard and will turn 34 on the 30th of April. He has een a part of the league since 2008 and joined the Mumbai Indians in 2011.
He has captained them to a record 5 league titles and is the joint-most decorated player in the history of IPL with 6 trophies. The Indian opener is also the 4th highest run scorer of all time and his status as an IPL legend needs no further justification.
Rohit has scored 5230 runs in 200 games at an average of 31.31 and strikes at 130.61. He wasn’t at his best in the last season as he scored 332 runs in 12 appearances and failed to breach the 500 run mark since 2013. Fans will be hoping that he can bring his form from international games into the IPL this season.
Youngest- Marco Jansen
Marco Jansen is an upcoming fast bowler from South Africa and has shown great signs of developing into a top class pacer in the future. The 20-year-old was bought for his base price of Rs.20 Lakh by the Mumbai Indians and it surprised quite a few people as he is yet to prove himself in any major leagues.
He was apparently picked up by the franchise after Quinton de Kock’s recommendation. He has performed really well in the first class fixtures and even got picked for the national Test squad when they toured Pakistan recently.
The South African was a part of the ‘A’ team that toured India in 2019 and even picked up 4 wickets in 3 List A matches. In 10 T20s, Jansen has gotten 6 wickets, and the left-arm pacer could potentially turn out to be a surprise package if he is picked in the starting XI.
5. Punjab Kings
Oldest- Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle recently achieved the rare feat of becoming one of the few cricketers to have played international cricket in 4 different decades. The West Indian legend’s performances haven’t dipped despite his increasing age and if we are to by his statements, he might not be retiring any time soon.
The 41-year-old cricketer played a key role for them last season, and it was his inclusion in the starting XI that caused a sudden change in Kings’ form. From being nowhere near a playoffs spot during the half-way, they nearly ended up progressing.
He scored 288 runs in 7 games at an average of 41.14, and his scoring rate of 137.14 was also outstanding. The fact that he did all this while batting out of position at No.3 makes it even better and he is likely to start ahead of Dawid Malan as a reward for his good performances last season. In general, he has scored 4772 runs in 132 games at an average of 41.13 and strikes at a phenomenal 150.11.
Youngest- Ravi Bishnoi
Ravi Bishnoi is the the youngest player in the PBKS camp aged just 20. He was a part of the U19 team in 2020 when the Indian team finished as runner-up. The young leg spinner was very good in his debut season and impressed quite a few with his googlies and control.
He picked up 12 wickets in 14 games at a strike rate of 25.5 while conceding at 7.37, which is quite good for someone so young. He was in excellent form even during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he picked up 11 wickets in 7 games and his economy rate was less than 6.
If he continues playing like this and manages to have a successful season, he might even come into the reckoning for a spot in the T20I squad ahead of the World Cup. With Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Tewatia struggling to clear the mandatory fitness tests, there could be an opportunity down the line provided he performs well.
6. Rajasthan Royals
Oldest-Andrew Tye
The Australian bowler has earned a reputation as a T20 specialist and has proved himself in several leagues over the years. Andrew Tye is 34 years of age will be the senior-most player in the squad during the upcoming season.
He was a big success in his first couple of seasons and his slower balls made it very difficult for opposition batsmen during the death overs. Tye even won the Purple Cap in 2018 when he picked up 24 wickets, but his form in the last 2 seasons has dwindled.
The former Kings XI player played just one match last season and returned with poor figures of 1/50 after completing his quota of 4 overs. In general, he has picked up 40 wickets in 27 games at a strike rate of 15.45 and concedes at 8.46.
Youngest- Akash Singh
Akash Singh is amongst the youngest players in the Indian Premier League this season and is currently, just 18 years of age. Like Bishnoi, even he was a part of India’s U19 team during the World Cup in 2020 and will turn 19 on the 26th of April.
He was also a part of their squad last season before being released and bought back for his base price of Rs.20 Lakh. The left arm pacer has the ability to swing the ball and given that they already have Jofra Archer and Chris Morris for the death, they could play him as a new ball specialist.
He has played 2 T20s for Rajasthan and picked up 2 wickets while conceding at 7.83. The local lad was surprisingly not given a chance last season, despite their struggles with the ball and he will hope that he gets his maiden IPL appearance this time around.
7. Royal Challengers Bangalore
Oldest- Daniel Christian
Daniel Christian will make his comeback in the IPL this season after going unsold in 2019 and 2020. The 37-year-old veteran has won quite a few T20 league titles and was bought by RCB for a whopping Rs.4.8 crore.
At 37 years of age, he is pretty much in the last leg of his career and he might be around for just a couple more years. The Australian allrounder will have to play an important role for RCB with both bat and ball, and the team management will hope that he repays their faith.
In 40 matches, he has scored 446 runs at a rather poor strike rate of 119.25 while averaging 17.84. He has also picked up 34 wickets at a strike rate of 23.02 while conceding at 7.94.
Youngest- Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal was born in July 2000 and is thus, just 20 years of age at present. The talented player might be the youngest player in their squad, but he is without doubt one of their most important players as well.
He broke several records last season including most runs scored by an uncapped player in a debut campaign. The left-handed batsman is one of the best U-21 batsmen in the world, and he has been consistently churning out the runs for more than an year now.
He scored 473 runs in 15 games at an average of 31.53 while scoring at nearly 125. If he successfully manages to repeat or better his previous campaign, he will give himself an outside chance of breaking into the national squad ahead of the Asia Cup and T20I and World Cup.
8. Sunrisers Hyderabad
Oldest- Wriddhiman Saha
Wriddhiman Saha is one of the many wicketkeeper-batsmen whose career map clashed with that of MS Dhoni’s. He had to be content with playing second fiddle to MS Dhoni during his prime years and only got a chance in the test team once he retired.
Saha is the oldest member in the SRH camp aged 36. He came into the team during the last few games last season and didn’t fail to have an impact as he scored 214 in just 4 games. He averaged 71.33 and even his strike rate of 139.86 was very good.
In 124 IPL matches, he has scored 1979 runs at an average of 25.7 and strikes at 132.02. He is likely to start for SRH as their keeper batsman in the first couple of game and he will have to perform at his very best as he will have strong competition in the form of Jonny Bairstow.
Youngest- Abdul Samad
Abdul Samad is quite a special talent as it isn’t often we find dangerous Indian finishers. He was quite good in the limited opportunities he got last season and showed that he has the ability to become a very good finisher in the future.
He plays for Jammu and Kashmir in domestic cricket, and had a decent outing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Samad can also bowl part-time leg spin, which could help him get into the Indian team provided he plays well during the next couple of seasons.
Samad scored 111 runs in 12 games at an average of 22.2 and his strike rate of 170.76 was quite brilliant. His strike rates in all 3 formats of the game are in excess of 100, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that this 19-year-old is amongst the top young players in India.
Source: The source of this content is our cricket news platform Crictracker.
Comments