‘Talent meets opportunity has been the tagline of the IPL since its inception in 2008. Since the start of the IPL, there has been an award named the Emerging player award which is given to a player who is less than 25 years of age and has done well in that particular season. Over the years, many young players have got the Emerging player award in the IPL and some of these players have gone on to become superstars at the international. So, on that note let us have a look at the emerging player of each season in the IPL.
1. 2008 – Shreevats Goswami
The wicket-keeper batsman from Bengal – Shreevats Goswami was the first-ever winner of the Emerging player award in the IPL. Goswami was part of the U19 World Cup team in 2008 which won under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. Goswami was part of the RCB team and he scored 82 runs in whatever opportunities he got with the highest score of 52.
2. 2009 – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma who is the current Indian captain won the Emerging Player award in IPL 2009. Sharma was part of the Deccan Chargers team which won the IPL in the same season. He was in the top ten run-scorers list as he scored 362 runs at a strike rate of 114.92. Apart from that he even contributed with his bowling as he picked up 11 wickets at an economy rate of just 7. He even took a hat-trick against his current Mumbai Indians in the 2009 IPL season. He deservedly won the award in 2009.
3. 2010 – Saurabh Tiwary
Saurabh Tiwary was also part of the U19 World Cup squad in 2008 which won under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. Tiwary who played for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2010 won the Emerging Player award that season. Tiwary scored 419 runs at an average of 29.92 and a strike rate of 135.59. He played an integral role in helping his team reach the Final in IPL 2010. Tiwary went unsold in this year’s IPL Auction.
4. 2011 – Iqbal Abdulla
Iqbal Abdulla who played for Kolkata Knight Rider in IPL 2011 won the Emerging Player award. He is a left-arm spinner who picked up 16 wickets in just 15 games at an economy rate of 6.1 in IPL 2011. He had a fantastic season under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir.
5. 2012 – Mandeep Singh
Mandeep Singh who has been bought by Delhi Capitals in this year’s auction won the Emerging Player Award in IPL 2012. Playing for Punjab Kings, Mandeep had managed to score more than 400 runs at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 126.31 with the highest score of 75. He has been in and out of the IPL teams since then.
6. 2013 – Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson who is now leading the Rajasthan Royals franchise won the Emerging Player Award in IPL 2013. Samson who has immense potential scored 206 runs in 10 innings at an average of 25.75. Samson was part of the Indian squad for the India-Sri Lanka series and played a couple of good innings in the last 2 T20Is.
7. 2014 – Axar Patel
Axar Patel who has been a consistent performer in the IPL won the Emerging Player Award for Punjab Kings in IPL 2014. Patel was absolutely fantastic for PBKS in that season as he picked up 17 wickets in 17 games at an economy rate of just 6.13. He played an important role for the team and helped them reach the Final. Patel was retained by Delhi Capitals for 9 CR ahead of the Mega Auction.
8. 2015 – Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer who got picked up for 12.25 CR in the Mega Auction and who won the Man of the Series in the recent T20I series was the winner of the Emerging Player Award in IPL 2015. Iyer who was part of the Delhi Capitals franchise and managed to score 439 runs at an average of 33.76 and a strike rate of 128.36. He has been one of the consistent performers in the IPL since then.
9. 2016 – Mustafizur Rahman
Mustafizur Rahman is the only overseas player to win the Emerging Player Award in the IPL. The left-arm seamer from Bangladesh picked up 17 wickets in 16 games at an economy rate of 6.90 despite bowling at the death. He was foxing all the batsmen with his slower ones and he had a searing yorker to complement that. Rahman was at his peak in 2016 and helped SRH win the IPL title.
10. 2017 – Basil Thampi
Basil Thampi who made his IPL debut in 2017 for Gujarat Lions became famous for his pace and his ability to bowl Yorkers at the death. Thampi picked up 11 wickets in 12 games but more than that it was his ability that got people excited. Mumbai Indians have bought him in this IPL Auction and it would be interesting to see if he can replicate the pace and death bowling for MI.
11. 2018 – Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant who is now an Indian player who plays all three formats won the Emerging player award in IPL 2018 for Delhi Capitals. Pant managed to score 684 runs in 14 matches at an average of 52.61 and a strike rate of 173.60. He managed to score 128* off just 63 balls against SRH which had the best bowling line-up in the competition. Pant is an integral part of the DC team and now is the captain of the same franchise.
12. 2019 – Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill who was the Man of the Tournament in the 2018 U-19 World Cup won the Emerging Player Award in IPL 2019. Gill managed to score 296 runs in 13 innings at an average of 32.88. Shubman Gill’s ability is there for everyone to see and many are expecting him to be a future superstar. Gill will be part of the new Gujarat Titans franchise in IPL 2022.
13. 2020 – Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal who made his IPL debut in 2020 managed to win the Emerging Player Award for RCB in the same season. Padikkal scored 473 runs at an average of 31.53 and a strike rate of 124.80 which included five half-centuries. The left-handed opening batsman from Karnataka was bought by Rajasthan Royals for 7.75 CR in this year’s Auction.
14. 2021 – Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad who had scored three half-centuries in three games in IPL 2020 bettered it in IPL 2021 as he scored 635 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.35 and a strike-rate of 136.26 which included a scintillating century against Rajasthan Royals. He not only won the Emerging Player Award but also the Orange Cap at such a young age. CSK managed to retain Gaikwad for just 6 CR.
