T20 World Cup 2022: 5 Indian Players To Watch Out For After IPL 2022
Quite a lot of players impressed us in IPL 2022 but we have compiled a list of the five players that we feel can make it to India’s T20 World Cup team which will be held in October this year.
After the Indian Premier League and a fairy tale title run for new champions Gujarat Titans, the focus now shifts to the next big multi-team cricket extravaganza – the 2022 Twenty20 World Cup. India hasn’t been able to lay hands on an ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy in England.
With the plethora of talent displayed in the latest edition of the IPL, India could as well use some of the promising youngsters to enhance their trophy bid under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.
India desperately wants to set things right this time around after being unable to qualify for the knockout rounds of last year’s event. During the 2021 T20 World Cup which was held in UAE, India suffered a humiliating loss in their opening encounter against Pakistan and lost their next match to New Zealand.
However, Virat Kohli’s men were able to salvage wins against lesser ranked teams like Afghanistan, Namibia, and Scotland but those weren’t enough for them to secure a place in the semi-finals.
It is time for India to right all the wrongs from their previous edition and for that, they should consider the players who impressed in the 2022 IPL. Here are the five cricketers who could make it to India’s Twenty20 World Cup team for the multi-nation event in Australia in October.
#5 Rahul Tripathi
His team may not have gone a long way in the tournament but the Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman impressed one and all with his timely stroke-play. Tripathi scored 413 runs in 14 matches and his biggest achievement was the way he was able to hit the gaps and score crucial runs in quick time for his team.
Tripathi had the highest strike rate of 158 among all Indian batsmen who scored over 400 runs in the 2022 IPL. He hit 40 fours and 20 sixes in the season and became the mainstay of the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s middle order when captain Kane Williamson failed to fire at the top of the order.
Tripathi can prove to be a great value addition to Team India as a street-smart operator in the middle overs with the ability to find the gaps and take on any bowling attack.
#4 Arshdeep Singh
The 23-year-old left-arm pacer came up with a remarkable show in the IPL for the Punjab Kings. He was very tough to get away and for a youngster, Arshdeep displayed a very calm head on his shoulders while bowling in the powerplay and in the death overs.
His toe-crushing yorkers and the consistency in which he was bowling impressed a lot of people. Arshdeep provided a good foil in the Punjab bowling attack to Kagiso Rabada.
Arshdeep Singh always looked one step ahead of the batsmen and would never go for plenty of runs. His wide yorker outside the batsmen’s off-stump became the fast-bowling template in the final overs during the IPL.
#3 Umran Malik
The pace-bowling sensation made headlines last year in the IPL when he consistently clocked over 150 kmph in the 2021 IPL. This year, the Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer proved that he isn’t an aberration but someone who can pick up wickets with a searing pace as well.
The Jammu and Kashmir right-arm speedster was part of the reserve squad that the Indian team took to UAE as part of the T20 World Cup. This year, his dream of playing a World Cup game could very well come true. Someone who can swing the ball at record speeds, Umran Malik is a talent like no other. His 22 wickets at 20 runs apiece were the second most number of scalps for a fast bowler in the 2022 IPL season.
In batting-friendly tracks Down Under, Malik’s pace will be just the X-factor Team India needs.
#2 Yuzvendra Chahal
The wily wrist spinner has been a consistent performer in white-ball cricket and leaving him out of the squad for the T20 World Cup could prove costly for Team India. Chahal was the highest wicket-taker in the IPL 2022 with 27 scalps and along with Jos Buttler, was the major reason why the inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals went all the way into the final.
Chahal’s strengths have been his speed and subtle variations that end up bamboozling the opposition batsmen often. He is an out-and-out wicket-taker and bowls the tough overs for the team be it in the powerplay or even at the death.
With the long boundaries in Australia, Chahal will prove to be an asset in the side with his quick leg-breaks and a lethal googly in his arsenal.
#1 Dinesh Karthik
This list can not be complete without Dinesh Karthik. Perhaps, the biggest success story of the IPL 2022, Karthik came back into the national reckoning with a bang.
Such was his influence as a finisher for the Royal Challengers Bangalore that he was dismissed only 6 times in 16 innings, scoring 330 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 183. He hit 27 fours and 22 sixes and most of them without breaking a sweat.
Dinesh Karthik’s experience in delivering in pressure situations at No. 6 will come in handy come the T20 World Cup. Karthik has been successfully able to size up the bowler and clear the boundaries as well by showing clever footwork in the batting crease.
