The Indian Premier League has incessantly been setting the standards of T20 cricket with each passing edition. Its back-breaking nature along with the fierce competition between the teams has coruscated through the brand of the sport.
While there have been new shots invented on one side, various strategies and techniques used by teams to bring out the best from their set of players have left us round-mouthed, to say the least. However, amid all the breathtaking action, IPL performs the role of proselytizing young, fresh and new talent.
Through this very aphorism, Indian cricket enlarged its boundaries in terms of talent. Here, on that note, we'll take a look at three youngsters whose dexterous talent makes them serious prospects for the future.
#3 Arshdeep Singh
Kings XI Punjab are back to the mess they have been over the seasons - to start off on a bright note but fade away. One route they've taken so far this term is to chop and change their playing XI repeatedly.
One such change brought out the faculty of young Arshdeep Singh. He got his opportunity against Rajasthan Royals and finished with 2/43 of his four overs. The 6'3" pacer utilizes his height to good effect, hits the deck hard and bowls a lot of seam up.
He's got almost everything that makes a fearsome fast bowler - stature, pace, bounce and skill. One such seam up delivery sent the dangerous Jos Buttler back to the pavilion, and although he received a bit of stick towards the end, the 20-year-old claimed the scalp of Ajinkya Rahane.
KXIP defended their total, and young Arshdeep Singh picked up two crucial wickets to this credit. You wonder why Kings XI haven't played him since.
#2 Riyan Parag
For a change, KKR's spinners this season were all over Rajasthan's batting when the two faced-off on April 25. Post Dinesh Karthik's masterful knock of 97*, Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine had spun a web around RR, leaving them with a mammoth task, as they needed 46 from 24 with just four wickets in hand.
Up stepped a young, 17-year-old Riyan Parag, who soaked in all the pressure, owning the calmest head around. He had already been part of a match-winning partnership with skipper Steve Smith in the previous run chase, but that was all about playing rearguard cricket.
Here, the scenario was different. The required run rate had shot up to about 12, but Parag stood his ground, cleared the ball over covers and long on with aplomb and took RR to a comfortable position.
Unfortunately, the second youngest player to take a wicket in the IPL couldn't become the youngest man to score a half-century, as he perished on a well-constructed 47.
What attracted millions of cricket observers was his still head and his contagious maturity. From the slots to the bowlers, he picked it all. Watch out, he's just 17!
#1 Rahul Chahar
Mayank Markhande was arguably the find of the season last year, but a minor injury to him early on in the season meant that Rahul Chahar would get his opportunity to roll his wrists.
It started with a substandard performance against CSK, but 2/21 against SRH opened the doors for the leggie, who then went on to take two three-fers on the spin. Aged just 19, Chahar has got a lot on offer, from his steady technique, revolutions on the ball and guile, to what is the most frightening aspect in a modern-day leg spinner - a quick action.
What's most integral and eye-catching is the way he sticks to his leg spinners. Young Rahul Chahar does possess a couple of tricks up his sleeves, but he maintains the agenda of spin bowling - to execute the stock ball to perfection. To do that in T20 cricket is some intelligence and bravery.
Chahar has made the stage his own, and with experience, he is bound to get better.