As the much-awaited cricket carnival IPL 2023 has already been started and giving unmatched entertainment for cricket fans, the IPL franchises and teams are battling to leave a lasting impression on the tournament. Since the home and away format is back after four years with a new ‘Impact Player’ rule, the clash between the champions is a treat to watch for any sports enthusiasts.
Till now, most of the matches have gone down to the wire and it has given an opportunity for the players to define what the tournament actually means. The 16 years of IPL have granted players a chance to make a mark in the league before making it big at the international level. Here is a look at the 10 fantasy cricket players to look forward to in the ongoing season.
1. M S Dhoni
M S Dhoni is very fit in his forties too and showed his capability to challenge any youngster who is passionate about sports, especially cricket. Since the inception of the Indian Premier League, he continues to shoulder the leadership responsibilities for Chennai Super Kings and has won 4 IPL titles for his franchise. Since the 2023 IPL T20 fantasy could be his last appearance, fans are excited to see his glove work behind the stumps, helicopter shots, and ultimate captaincy for one last time. Whenever he walks onto the field, all IPL fans irrespective of the teams respect his presence as he can guide his team to success at any stage of the game.
2. Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill is playing for the defending champions Gujarat Titans as an opener. He has been on the cards since his IPL debut in 2018 and continues to grow as an international player with his outstanding performances for India.
Gill was the second-highest scorer in the last season for Gujarat Titans where he played a pivotal role in their maiden T20 IPL fantasy title. He played 74 matches and scored 1900 runs with a decent average of 32.20, with his highest IPL score being 96 runs.
With Shubman’s current batting form, he is a serious contender to Venkatesh Iyer and Shikar Dhawan for IPL Orange Cap.
3. Harry Brook
Harry Brook was one of the first players to set the auction table on fire ahead of IPL 2023. This England lad’s rapid rise in international cricket in the last year made Sunrisers Hyderabad buy him for a whopping ₹13.25 crore. Regarded as the all-format superstar, he is efficiently handling the load of the absence of Kane Williamson and winning matches for his team.
4. Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal is an Indian player playing for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL T20 fantasy league. After the U19 world cup triumph, Yashasvi has made a huge impact in domestic cricket in India. He became the youngest cricketer to score a double century in a Vijay Hazare trophy game and grabbed the attention of the country. Till now, he has played 28 matches in his IPL career and has scored 683 runs, with an average of 24.39.
5. Rahul Tewatia
Rahul Tewatia is probably the most experienced uncapped player currently in IPL 2023 and reminds Dhoni of critical death over situations as he showed his capability to pull the matches in his team’s favor at any time from his batting heroics. This hard-hitting all-rounder finisher debuted for IPL in 2014 and has played 69 matches till now and has scored 759 runs, with an average of 26.17.
Rahul Tewatia is remembered for his heroics when he equaled Chris Gayle’s record for hitting the most sixes in an over of an IPL match when he hit 5 sixes off Sheldon Cottrell in the 18th over of the match against Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2020. This season also, he hit consecutive sixes on the final two balls of the match, leading the Gujarat Titans to their third victory.
6. Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan became introduced to the world of cricket through his extraordinary hitting abilities that helped Tamil Nadu win the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy with his last-ball six in the final against the then-defending champions Karnataka. Now, he is playing the finisher role for the Punjab Kings franchise. In the recent game against Lucknow Super Giants, he helped his team secure a thrilling win in the latter overs of the match by two wickets.
7. Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh was trolled in 2018 for making his own Facebook fan group. But today, the cricketer has become a household name with everyone heaping praises for his batting heroics against Gujarat Titans in an IPL fantasy cricket match. He smashed 5 sixes in the final over to successfully chase down 29 runs, the highest-ever chase in the last over in the tournament’s history. He plays for Kolkata Knight Riders and he was bagged by KKR at ₹80 lakhs.
8. Rajvardhan Hangargekar
Rajvardhan Hangargekar was part of the victorious Indian team in the recently concluded U19 cricket world cup. He had been bought by Chennai Super Kings in the mega auction in 2022 but did not get a chance to play in the previous IPL. However, the all-rounder has proved his capability by bowling some excellent death overs in the ongoing IPL 2023, and he is arguably the fastest bowler that CSK has in store right now.
Despite being an uncapped player, Rajvardhan with his unique bowling action and a penchant for big hits while batting can come in handy down the order for CSK.
9. Sai Sudharsan
Sai Sudharsan has been truly impressive in the domestic T20 tournament in Chennai, and he is continuing his excellent form in the IPL fantasy league also. This top-order batsman was praised by Mr. Gavaskar for showing impressive temperament against Delhi Capitals for his match-winning 62 not out recently. He continued his good form from the last season and showed all the signs of becoming a top-level player for India soon.
10. Ayush Badoni
Ayush Badoni is one of the uncapped players to watch out for in the IPL fantasy cricket 2023. This Lucknow Super Giants player displayed eye-catching batting capabilities on his debut and has shown great potential with the ball as well. With one half-century under his belt and a highest score of 54 runs, Ayush has proven himself to be a reliable middle-order batsman as he almost finished a match for his team in the recently concluded game.
Disclaimer: Gambling involves an element of financial risk and may be addictive. Please play responsibly and at your own risk. This post contains material that may or may not be legal in your country. Please play subject to applicable law.
