Day 2 of Indian T20 League 2022 will witness two mouth-watering clashes as Delhi will cross swords with Mumbai at Brabourne Stadium while Punjab will take on Bangalore at DY Patil Stadium on Sunday, March 28.

While Delhi have been impressive to reach the playoffs in the last three seasons, they have yet to win the coveted trophy since the Indian T20 League began in 2008. On the contrary, Mumbai are the most successful franchise in the Indian T20 League, winning the title five times.

In the head-to-head record in the Indian T20 League, Mumbai hold a slender advantage over Delhi, winning 16 of the 30 matches that they have contested. Delhi have secured 14 victories.

Ahead of the second match of the Indian T20 League 2022, we look at the key battle between two players from both sides, which could decide the outcome of the match.

Delhi vs Mumbai key player battle

Rishabh Pant vs Jasprit Bumrah

It has always been an interesting watch when Rishabh Pant has faced Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian T20 League. While Bumrah has been exceptional against Delhi, he has made Pant his bunny in the high-profile T20 League. India’s premier fast bowler Bumrah has dismissed Pant six times in 12 Indian T20 League matches so far. 

Bumrah made things difficult for Pant in his early days in the league by dismissing him thrice in eight deliveries during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Rishabh Pant record vs Jasprit Bumrah
Innings	Runs scored	Balls faced	Dismissed	Economy
12	48	42	6	6.86

Interestingly, Bumrah has claimed 20 wickets in 17 matches against Delhi at an average of 23.55 and an economy rate of 7.35.

In Sunday’s second fixture, the new-look teams of Punjab and Bangalore will be vying for a positive start to the new Indian T20 League season. 

While Bangalore have reached the Indian T20 League finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016, they are yet to get their hands on the trophy. Similarly, Punjab played the 2014 Indian T20 League final but are yet to clinch the coveted title.

Punjab and Bangalore have faced each other 28 times in the Indian T20 League with the former securing 15 victories while the latter has clinched 13 wins.

Let’s look at the key battle between Punjab and Bangalore, which could decide the fate of the contest.

Punjab vs Bangalore key player battle

Sandeep Sharma vs Virat Kohli

Former Bangalore captain Virat Kohli has been Sandeep Sharma’s favourite victim in the Indian T20 League. Known for his early swing, fast bowler Sandeep has dismissed Kohli seven times in the T20 League. Meanwhile, Kohli has scored 73 runs in 55 deliveries that he has faced in 13 Indian T20 League innings.

Virat Kohli record vs Sandeep Sharma
Innings	Runs scored	Balls faced	Dismissed	SR
13	73	55	7	132.72

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Featured photo: Manjunath KIRAN / AFP

Bhuvneshwar Kumar joined a select club of bowlers to take 50 or more powerplay wickets in the Indian T20 League on Monday, September 27 following the dismissal of Evin Lewis during the Hyderabad versus Rajasthan match at Dubai.

Bhuvneshwar, who pulled out of Indian T20 League 2020 early on due to a thigh injury, struggled for consistency in the 2021 edition.

However, his dismissal of West Indian opener Lewis brought will fill him with some confidence as he looks to have an impact for India at the T20 World Cup in October.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, playing in his 129th game in the Indian T20 League, now has 50 powerplay wickets in the tournament. The 31-year-old is the third bowler, after Zaheer Khan and Sandeep Sharma, to reach the milestone.

Who was the first bowler to take 50 powerplay wickets in the Indian T20 League?

Zaheer Khan, who represented three franchises in his decade-long Indian T20 League career was the first bowler to take 50 powerplay wickets in the competition.

The left-arm pacer registered 52 wickets in 99 innings, with a bowling average of 27.92 and an economy rate of 6.74. However, Zaheer’s record would soon be broken by Hyderabad’s Sandeep Sharma in the 2020 edition.

Who is the bowler with the most powerplay wickets in the Indian T20 League?

Referred to as the ‘King of Powerplays�? Sandeep Sharma leads the list of bowlers with most powerplay wickets in the Indian T20 League, with 53 scalps to his name.

The Punjab-born bowler became the second bowler to 50 powerplay wickets during Hyderabad’s game against Bangalore in Indian T20 League 2020 and went on to overtake Zaheer Khan after dismissing Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma in their game at Sharjah in the same edition.

Most powerplay wickets in the Indian T20 League

Bowler	Innings	Wickets
Sandeep Sharma	89	53
Zaheer Khan	99	52
Bhuvneshwar Kumar	129	50
Umesh Yadav	104	45
Dhawal Kulkarni	84	44

Featured photo: AFP / Sajjad Hussain

It is not everyday that a bowler can easily trouble Virat Kohli. The 32-year-old, who made his T20 debut in 2007 against Himachal Pradesh, has aggregated 9,929 T20 runs and is in line to become the first Indian to 10,000 runs in the 20-overs format as he returns to represent Bangalore in the Indian T20 League 2021.

Kohli has amassed 72 half-centuries since his T20 debut, the most by an Indian. He has been with Team Bangalore since the inaugural Indian T20 League season in 2008, and has gone on to score 6,076 runs in 199 matches at a strike rate of 130.41.

Kohli, who recently announced that he will soon be stepping down from captaincy for Bangalore and India, will also have fond memories of his 2016 season, where he hit a whopping 973 runs - the highest runs scored in a single Indian T20 League campaign by a batsman.

But, of all the bowlers Kohli has faced in the T20 format, eight bowlers - of which five are from the Indian T20 League - have managed to dismiss the batting legend on four or more occasions.

Here, we take a look at those bowlers who have managed to get the better of Virat Kohli on multiple occasions in cricket’s shortest format.

Bowlers who dismissed Virat Kohli the most in T20 cricket

Sandeep Sharma has dismissed Virat Kohli seven times in T20 cricket, and is one of two pacers with Ashok Dinda to dismiss the Bangalore captain twice in a single Indian T20 League edition.

Moreover, Kohli does not have a favorable record against Sharma, scoring just 73 runs at an average of 10.43.

In his stint with Punjab (2013-2017), Sandeep Sharma took Virat Kohli’s wicket five times and then dismissed him twice after switching to Hyderabad. The Indian bowler has bowled the 32-year-old Bangalore skipper out twice, while the other modes of Kohli’s dismissal to him include three catches, one catch behind and one LBW.

Bowler	Dismissals
Sandeep Sharma	7
Ashish Nehra	6
Dhawal Kulkarni	4
Jacques Kallis	4
Jasprit Bumrah	4
Lakshmipathy Balaji	4
Mitchell McClenaghan	4
Mohammed Shami	4

Featured photo: AFP / Sajjad Hussain

Hyderabad will take on Bangalore in the 2020 Indian T20 League’s Eliminator clash in Abu Dhabi on Friday. Both sides ended the league stage on 14 points and finished in the top four thanks to their net run rate. Neither side will want to lose the game as it would mark their elimination from the tournament, but Hyderabad will have momentum on their side, having emerged victorious in their last three matches.

Bangalore, on the other hand, will go into the contest slightly short on confidence, having lost their previous four matches, which included a five-wicket defeat against Hyderabad. However, Bangalore have plenty of game-changers in their ranks and will be hoping that they can rise to the challenge.

A look at the head-to-head between the teams indicates that there isn’t much to separate the two teams. One tied encounter aside, Hyderabad have won this fixture eight times, while Bangalore have emerged victorious on seven occasions. The two meetings between them earlier in the season saw each side win once but here we look at some potential difference-makers and key battles that could determine the winners of the Eliminator.

Yuzvendra Chahal versus Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson and Wriddhiman Saha

Yuzvendra Chahal is Bangalore’s leading wicket-taker this season, with 20 scalps to his name, and is averaging 19 in his last seven matches, having accounted for 10 wickets during that time. He has the second-most wickets by a spinner in the tournament and taken 15 wickets against Hyderabad overall, which is the second-most by a bowler against the 2016 champions and the most by a spinner.

Chahal’s also taken the most number of wickets (7) in Abu Dhabi �?the venue for the Eliminator �?this season and will be key when it comes to dismissing some of Hyderabad’s top-order batsmen, having enjoyed lots of success against them in the past. If he’s not getting wickets, you can rest assured that he can keep things tight against the likes of Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson and Wriddhiman Saha.

Batsmen	Innings	Runs Scored	Dismissals	Strike Rate
Manish Pandey	9	41	4	85.42
Kane Williamson	5	35	1	97.3
Wriddhiman Saha	6	46	2	121.05

Yuzvendra Chahal’s record against Hyderabad batsmen

Virat Kohli against Sandeep Sharma

Virat Kohli is second-highest run-scorer against Hyderabad having made 525 runs at their expense and he needs to score just 42 more against to surpass the leading run-getter against them, Shane Watson. The 2020 season has seen Kohli make 460 over the course of the tournament but the Bengaluru skipper will know that he can do much, going by his high standards.

His average of 46 this year isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, however, expectations are always sky high when it comes to a batsman of Kohli’s calibre. He will be eager to deliver when it matters most in the Eliminator but needs to be wary of the threat posed by Hyderabad’s Sandeep Sharma, who has dismissed Kohli more than any other bowler in the history of the Indian T20 League. In 12 innings, Sandeep has gotten rid of Kohli seven times.

Players to watch:

Bangalore �?Devdutt Padikkal

Bangalore’s leading scorer with 472 runs, Devdutt Padikkal has reached the fifty mark five times this season. He’s been in splendid touch, especially in Abu Dhabi where he has 212 runs at an average of 53 and a strike rate of 143.24 from four innings. Three of his five fifties have also come at the venue and Hyderabad will need to see his back soon if they want to avoid elimination at the hands of Bangalore.

Hyderabad �?Rashid Khan

Hyderabad’s leading wicket-taker with 19 scalps so far, Rashid Khan will be their key man against Bangalore’s high-quality batting line-up. The Afghanistan spinner has the best average (15.57) as well as economy (5.28) for bowlers this year and is among the top three bowlers for dot balls having bowled 153 dots. He’s also got the better of Kohli and AB de Villiers in the past and both batsmen have struggled to score freely against him.

Stats to watch out for:

1: Wicket needed for Sandeep Sharma to be the leading wicket-taker versus Bangalore in the Indian T20 League.

3: Wickets Dale Steyn needs to reach 100 Indian T20 League wickets.

5: Sixes David Warner needs to complete 200 Indian T20 League sixes.

8: Sixes Manish Pandey needs to complete 100 Indian T20 League sixes.

21: Runs Wriddhiman Saha needs to complete 2000 Indian T20 League runs.

Writer’s pick:

Bangalore undoubtedly have the stronger team on paper and should beat Hyderabad if everyone plays to their potential. However, history suggests that Bangalore have struggled to perform to their best in crunch encounters and the Eliminator has all the makings of a high-stakes contest. Furthermore, Hyderabad are on a winning run and seem to be clicking at the right time, which is why they are the most likely to win the Eliminator.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Manjunath Kiran

After successive losses in the Indian T20 League, Delhi will be looking to bounce back with a victory when they take on Hyderabad in Dubai on Tuesday. Even though they look destined for the playoffs and are currently second in the standings with 14 points, the side from the national capital will want to return to winning ways soon and get some confidence back in the squad.

Hyderabad, on the other hand, are practically out of the playoff reckoning and presently find themselves second from bottom in the points table having managed to win just four games all season. However, they got the better of Delhi in their clash earlier this season and will be hoping for a repeat of that on Tuesday.

The head-to-head between the teams also favours Hyderabad, who have won 10 of their 16 games against Delhi. They will be eager to secure a morale-boosting win, if nothing else, against Delhi and here are a few key battles and players that could make a difference in the match.

Ravichandran Ashwin versus David Warner and Manish Pandey

Ravichandran Ashwin hasn’t enjoyed the best of seasons with Delhi and has taken just eight wickets in nine games so far. His bowling average of 36.13 against Hyderabad �?his worst against any current Indian T20 League team �?isn’t the most encouraging either. Having said that, he has enjoyed some success against some Hyderabad batsmen in the past and will want an upturn in fortune in Dubai. Ashwin’s picked up the wickets of David Warner and Manish Pandey twice in the past and will be keen to add to that tally.

Batsman	Innings	Run Scored	Dismissals	Strike Rate
David Warner	8	78	2	105.40
Manish Pandey	11	58	2	111.53

Table: Ravichandran Ashwin vs Warner and Pandey in Indian T20 League.

Sandeep Sharma against Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer

Like Ashwin, Hyderabad’s Sandeep Sharma isn’t enjoying the most fruitful of Indian T20 League seasons. Normally a very reliable option for Hyderabad, Sandeep has managed to get just six wickets this year and has been on the expensive side. However, he could play a role against a few of Delhi’s batsman having come out on top against them in a few individual battles in past games. Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer are two batsmen from Delhi who will know all about Sandeep having been dismissed by him more than once.

Batsman	Innings	Run Scored	Dismissals	Strike Rate
Ajinkya Rahane	8	63	2	92.64
Shreyas Iyer	8	34	3	72.34

Table: Sandeep Sharma vs Rahane and Iyer in Indian T20 League.

Players to watch:

Hyderabad �?Jason Holder

Jason Holder has performed well for Hyderabad ever since coming into the team and has taken five wickets in the two games he’s played so far. His economy of 7.50 is the best by a Hyderabad fast bowler barring the injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Holder has also excelled in the death overs, strengthening Hyderabad’s bowling in that phase and has taken three wickets in slog overs thus far.

Delhi �?Shikhar Dhawan

Following a slow start to the season, Shikhar Dhawan has struck form at the right moment for Delhi and is currently second on the leaderboard for runs (471). He’ll be keen on making amends having missed out in Delhi’s last game against Kolkata and will back himself to add to the two fifties and two centuries that he’s already scored this year.

Stats to watch out for:

4: Wickets needed by Jason Holder to reach 100 T20 Wickets.

17: Runs Needed by Kane Williamson to reach 1500 runs in the Indian T20 League.

17.50: Shikhar Dhawan’s average versus Hyderabad, his lowest against any current team in the Indian T20 League.

327: Kane Williamson has scored 327 runs against Delhi at an average of 54.50, his most runs scored against any team in the Indian T20 League.

356: Runs Rishabh Pant has scored against Hyderabad at an average of 44.50, his most against any current team in the Indian T20 League.

Writer’s pick:

Delhi should have enough firepower to beat Hyderabad and will go into the match as favourites. The losses in their last two games will only be added motivation for the side from the national capital to regain some momentum ahead of the business end of the 2020 Indian T20 League. While Hyderabad do have players to punish Delhi, Shreyas Iyer’s side are the more balanced team and should leave Dubai with maximum points.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Noah  Seelam

Hyderabad and Bangalore - two of Indian T20 League’s best batting units �?are entirely different groups in their own unique way, with one being a vociferous underachiever, and the other being a bunch of low-profile yet consistent set of players. So when they collide on Monday, September 21, at Dubai International Stadium, sparks are surely expected to fly.

The two teams have always been at each other's necks since their very first meeting in 2013, which took a super over to decide the winner. Since then, both Hyderabad and Bangalore have crossed paths on 15 occasions and the former has come out on top in eight of them, and the latter in six.

A new-look Bangalore, this time around, is gunning for glory after finishing at the bottom last year. Hyderabad will once again count on their opening pair of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow for a fiery start but things have improved in the middle this season.

As far as their recent form goes, Hyderabad are coming on the back of a solitary victory in their last five games, while Bangalore, carrying much-needed momentum, have three victories in their last five matches.

All eyes on Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep Sharma, a right-arm medium pacer from Punjab, has been one of the Indian T20 League’s most consistent bowlers, having picked more than 10 wickets in each of his last six seasons. Currently five shy of reaching the 100-wicket mark in the tournament, he needs three more scalps to be the leading wicket-taker against Bangalore.

Sandeep Sharma vs current Indian T20 League teams
Teams	Wicket
Chennai	8
Delhi	15
Punjab	6
Kolkata	9
Mumbai	13
Rajasthan	3
Bangalore	21

A whopping 22.10 percent (21) of his 95 wickets have come against Bangalore; more than against any other side, meaning that he poses a great threat on Monday. Since 2013, he has been wicketless against Bangalore just once. He has a bowling average of 16.28 against Bangalore, which is the best among all bowlers with min. 250 balls against Bangalore.

And then come the good part; out of his 21 wickets, he has dismissed Virat Kohli six times.

Williamson’s hostility against Bangalore

It remains to be seen if Kane Williamson does get a chance in an already stacked Hyderabad team, but judging by his returns against Bangalore, he sure deserves one. The New Zealand captain has scored 262 runs against Bangalore (second-highest against any Indian T20 League team after Delhi Capitals) in a mere five innings at an average of 65.50. His scores in the last meetings against Bangalore reads:

Kane Williamson vs Bangalore in Indian T20 League
Matches	Runs Scored
Match 8, Bangalore vs. Hyderabad, 13 Apr 2015	5
Match 27, Hyderabadvs. Bangalore, 30 Apr 2016	50
Match 39, Hyderabadvs. Bangalore, 07 May 2018	56
Match 51, Bangalore vs. Hyderabad, 17 May 2018	81
Match 54, Bangalore vs. Hyderabad, 04 May 2019	70*

The Kiwi skipper has scored 50 or more on four different occasions and that speaks volumes.

Hitting with a strike-rate of 153.22 against his Monday’s opponents, Williamson has well and truly dismissed the notion that he is not an out-and-out T20 player.

Players to watch:

Hyderabad- Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is someone who has always flown under the radar. For someone who has picked 133 wickets in nine seasons deserves much more than he gets. Monday, he once again will be the key for Hyderabad if they strike early, given his outstanding record against Bangalore opener Parthiv Patel. Patel has duly struggled against Hyderabadand carries an average of 16.27, which is the worst among all the active teams. And one particular bowler he has always stumbled against is Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Most dismissals by a bowler to dismiss Parthiv Patel in Indian T20 League
Bowlers	Wicket
Bhuvneshwar Kumar	6
Ravichandran Ashwin	4
Praveen Kumar	3
Yusuf Pathan	3
Sandeep Sharma	3
Dwayne Bravo	3
Jaydev Unadkat	3
Lasith Malinga	3

The 30-year-old Meerut born bowler has dismissed Patel six times in the Indian T20 League; most by any other bowler in the league. And so, if Hyderabad tend to put a block early on, expect them to count on their marksman.

Bangalore �?Virat Kohli

Bangalore have lost their last three opening games of the Indian T20 League, and twice they have been bowled out within 20 overs. In those three games, Kohli has returned with a total score of 37. His overall figure against Hyderabad though is outstanding, having scored 504 in 13 innings. As things stand, he needs just 20 runs more to surpass Shane Watson to become the leading run-getter vs Hyderabad in Indian T20 League.

Most runs vs Hyderabad in Indian T20 League
Player	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs
SR Watson	16	16	2	523
V Kohli	13	13	2	504
RV Uthappa	16	16	0	472
AT Rayudu	14	13	4	447
SK Raina	17	17	2	434

Meanwhile, a win on Monday would make him only the fourth captain to have 50 Indian T20 League wins after MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma. All he needs to take care of is Sandeep Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar �?who has dismissed Kohli twice in 11 innings.

Stats to watch out for:

1: Parthiv Patel needs one more six to complete 50 sixes in the Indian T20 League.

1: One more six for AB de Villiers will take his tally to 200 sixes for Bangalore.

1: With 1 more wicket, Siddarth Kaul will reach 50 Indian T20 League wickets.

3: Sandeep Sharma needs three more wickets to be the leading wicket-taker vs Bangalore in Indian T20 League. His tally of wickets is 21, only Ashish Nehra and Harbhajan Singh (23) have more wickets than him

4: Dale Steyn needs 4 scalps to complete 100 Indian T20 League wickets.

10: With 10 more maximums, Virat’s tally of sixes in Indian T20 League will be 200, making him the fourth batsman to this landmark after Chris Gayle (326), AB de Villiers (212) and MS Dhoni (209).

Writer’s pick:

It’s always difficult to predict a winner from a match such as this. If things go right, Hyderabad can wreak havoc, but on their day, Bangalore aren’t afraid of chasing big too. For Hyderabad, it all depends on how their openers perform. For Bangalore, the likes of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli need to be able to hang around and fight. Both the teams, in a way, carry a similar fate, but judging by a slightly better bowling prowess of Hyderabad, expect the one-time Indian T20 League winner to edge Bangalore on Monday.

Think you know more? We have a fantasy game lined up for you.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Manjunath Kiran

 

While the Indian T20 League has seen some outstanding bowling spells over the years, there have also been instances when the batsmen have completely dominated proceedings. We delve into some of the worst bowling spells of the tournament and at first glance itself, it is pretty evident that the bowlers have it hard in T20 cricket. 

Basil Thampi (4-0-70-0)

Basil Thampi has the rare distinction of being the only bowler in the tournament to concede 70 or more runs. The Kerala speedster recorded these unwanted figures in 2018 against Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. With Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers and Colin de Grandhomme on the charge, Thampi was taken to the cleaners and conceded 70 runs in his four-over spell. He conceded 37 in his first two overs and 33 in his last two.

Read | Most economical bowlers in Indian T20 League history

Mujeeb-ur-Rahman (4-0-66-0)

The Afghanistan spinner is one of the most economical bowlers in the league's history. A mystery spinner with a plethora of variations, Mujeeb has been a revelation in all T20 cricket. In the 2019 league game against Hyderabad, Mujeeb, playing for Punjab, came up against David Warner and the results were catastrophic for the mystery spinner. He conceded 66 in his four-over spell after taking the new ball alongside Arshdeep Singh. 

Ishant Sharma (4-0-66-0)

The Indian with the second-worst figures in the tournament, Ishant Sharma had a horrid night in 2013 when he conceded a whopping 66 runs against Chennai. In his final over, the Indian Test pacer conceded as many as 25 runs to go past the competition record of the worst spell ever before Thampi and Mujeeb took over from him. Ishant conceded a hat-trick of sixes in his second over before his poor final over gave him this unwanted record. 

Read | Most wickets in Indian T20 history

Umesh Yadav (4-0-65-0)

Before Umesh Yadav switched allegiance to Bangalore, he had a face-off against Virat Kohli in 2013 while playing for the Delhi franchise. Umesh was tight in his first two overs, conceding just 13 runs but had a nightmare in the death as Kohli took a liking to his bowling. In the 18th over, Umesh conceded 24 runs but his skipper, David Warner, trusted him with yet another over. Kohli smashed two fours and two sixes in that final over as Umesh went on to record horrendous figures of 4-0-65-0. 

Sandeep Sharma (4-0-65-1)

In 2014, Sandeep Sharma was bludgeoned for 65 runs in his four-over spell against Hyderabad while he represented Punjab. Like with Umesh Yadav, Sandeep started well, giving away just 13 runs in his first two overs. But as he resumed in the powerplay, Shikhar Dhawan dug into the swing bowler that over and stole four fours and a six. When he came back for the 19th over, Sandeep was all over the place with wides and no-balls and conceded 26 off it to record his worst figures in the format.

Read | Year by year list of Purple Cap holders

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Manjunath Kiran

The Vijay Hazare Trophy has been creating quite a buzz this season with double hundreds and compelling individual performances. With the competition edging towards a finish, we take a look at five candidates who might be closing in on an Indian team call-up based on their form in this tournament.

Sanju Samson

The Kerala wicket-keeper batsman made a roaring statement with a scintillating double hundred in the season. In 8 matches in the tournament this year, Samson has 410 runs at an average of 58.57. With Rishabh Pant's ODI returns tapering down, Samson has a realistic chance of edging him in the national team.

Suryakumar Yadav

The pyrotechnics and lit cover drives aside, Suryakumar Yadav is a compact, reliable batsman who is flexible in terms of his role in the side. The Mumbaikar has had a stupendous Vijay Hazare Trophy so far and it could well pave way for an India berth, something that eluded him despite his performances for the Mumbai franchise in the Indian T20 League. Suryakumar has 226 runs in 7 matches this season but crucially has scored his runs at a strike rate of 154.79, the third best in the tournament, and an average of 113, the best in the tournament.

Shivam Dube

The big hitting all-rounder made waves in the domestic circuit last season itself but slipped down the radar after inconsistent returns, albeit due to a poor role given for the Bangalore based franchise in the Indian T20 League. Dube has 177 runs in five innings at 88.5 in this year’s Vijay Hazare Trophy with his runs coming at a strike rate of 146.28. He has also taken four wickets while going at a very reasonable economy rate.

Sandeep Sharma 

Sandeep Sharma's new ball ability is often raved about. He has showcased it multiple times in the Indian T20 League and despite the odd call-up for India, he never retained it and was quickly dropped. India now have their eyes on Deepak Chahar in a similar role but with the T20 World Cup coming up, they would be testing the waters and a swing bowler like Sandeep can be invaluable. His Vijay Hazare returns of 17 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 13.53 further his credentials.

Nitish Rana

Rana has 278 runs in 7 matches this tournament for Delhi and is their second highest run-scorer. He has averaged 55.6 while scoring a hundred and carries on his good form from the Indian T20 League where he shone for the Kolkata franchise. It is his all-round skills that make Rana an exciting option, one who could replace Kedar Jadhav in the national setup. Rana has 12 wickets in 7 matches this season and has out-bowled his spin counterpart, Pawan Negi. At just 25 years of age, his future appears bright.

Featured image courtesy: AFP / Prakash Singh

Led by a charismatic 19-year-old captain, Unmukt Chand, India lifted their third U-19 Cricket World Cup on August 26 in 2012, defeating hosts Australia by six wickets in the final.

With the victory, India, along with Australia, who too have three U-19 titles, became the most successful team in the tournament’s history. The triumph, however, was more special, especially for captain Chand as it was India’s first World Cup win outside Asia.

Slotted in Group C, the competition began on an all-time low for India, as they lost their opening round of fixture against West Indies by four wickets.

However, two back-to-back victories over Zimbabwe and Papua New Guinea ensured India’s place in the quarter-final, where arch-rivals Pakistan awaited. Riding on the back of Babar Azam’s half-century, Pakistan could only manage a mere 136 in 45 overs. A fine show by Baba Aparajith somehow guided India to a marginal victory (by one wicket), as India began their preparations for the semi-final.

Facing New Zealand in the round, Prashant Chopra’s half century followed by two wickets each for Sandeep Sharma, Ravikanth Singh and Harmeet Singh were enough for India to guarantee a place in the final.

Unbeaten enroute to the final, Australia were riding high on confidence. However, a four-wicket haul by Sandeep Sharma restricted the host to 225, with Will Bosisto playing a crucial unbeaten knock of 87 off 120 deliveries.

As for India, they lost their first wicket in only the second over, and as their innings reached the halfway point (25^th over), they found themselves four down at 97 runs. This is when skipper Chand along with Smit Patel shift the gears. Playing a 130-run stand, India defeated Australia by six wickets in Townsville, with Chand remaining unbeaten at 111 (seven 4s, six 6s). Patel, on the other hand, too remained unbeaten, scoring an 84-ball 62.

It has been seven years since the triumph, and you might be wondering which player from the team actually got a senior cap after the World Cup. Well, to your surprise, only Hanuma Vihari and Sandeep Sharma have got the nod so far. And while the former has played five Tests, since making his debut in 2018 against England, the later has only been a part of two T20Is for India.

Chand, on the other hand, has been an in and out personell in the Indian T20 League over the years. Having made his debut for the Delhi franchise in 2011, the right-handed batsman failed to replicate his World Cup form in the sixth edition (2012) of the tournament. In seven matches for Delhi, the now 26-year-old scored only 61 before being brought by team Rajasthan for the seventh edition. In 2015, he joined team Mumbai, but had to do with a bench role due to inconsistent performances.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @MazherArshad