Former Indian cricket team skipper Sourav Ganguly picked five young cricketers to watch out for in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a special mention for Suryakumar Yadav. During a recent interaction, the former BCCI President was asked to pick players who he thinks will become huge names in the competition. Ganguly was quick to name Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Ruturaj Gaikwad and fast bowler Umran Malik before adding Gujarat Titans' Shubman Gill to the mix. However, big names like Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer was notably missing from his answer.
"The best in the business is Suryakumar Yadav. Obviously, you don't consider him a youngster anymore, but having said that, among the young players, Prithvi Shaw has a lot of talent in the T20 format, and I think Rishabh Pant. He is only 23 (25). He has got the world at his feet; Rishabh Pant is the No. 2. I would keep a look at Ruturaj Gaikwad, how he keeps playing. I think these are the three batsmen. Umran Malik is one who will probably, if he stays fit, will continue to keep the fans interested in the game because of his genuine pace."
Harbhajan Singh, who was part of the show, asked Ganguly about Shubman Gill and the former skipper quickly added him to his list. "Yes exactly, that's the name which slipped my mind. But I think my fifth player would be Shubman Gill. So, it's Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Surya probably heads the list, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Umran Malik and Shubman Gill," he concluded with a smile.
While most players in the list will have a great chance in cementing their respective IPL legacies, Pant will miss the tournament due to injuries sustained in a car accident.