9 days for IPL 2026: Decoding 9 young Indian talents
What's the story
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is back, and the excitement is palpable. The tournament, which will get underway on March 28, has always been a platform for emerging Indian stars. This year promises to be even more competitive with youngesters aiming to come good. With the 2026 IPL season being just 9 days away, here are 9 young Indian talents to watch out for.
#1
Vaibhav Suryavanshi - Rajasthan Royals
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who is set to turn 15 years of age, could take the tournament by storm. The U-19 ICC World Cup 2026 winner, made his debut for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025. He ended up smashing 252 runs from 7 matches at 36. He hit a century and one fifty. Overall, he has 701 T20 runs at 41.23 (100s: 3, 50s: 1).
#2
Ayush Mhatre - Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) handed teenager Ayush Mhatre his IPL debut in 2025. The 18-year-old smashed 240 runs from 7 matches at 34.28. He hit one fifty. Mhatre, who captained the Indian U-19 side in 2026 World Cup, will hope to showcase his potential. In 13 T20s, he has 565 runs at 56.50 with two tons and 2 fifties under his belt.
#3
Angkrish Raghuvanshi - Kolkata Knight Riders
Mumbai's Angkrish Raghuvanshi is a promising talent. He has been putting in a shift in domestic cricket and looks set for a fruitful career ahead. The 21-year-old has been with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the last two seasons, making his debut in 2024. He has 463 runs at 28.93 from 22 matches with 2 fifties. In T20s, he owns 734 runs at 26.21.
#4
Sameer Rizvi - Delhi Capitals
22-year-old Sameer Rizvi will represent the Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2026. The youngster made his IPL debut in 2024 for CSK. He scored 51 runs from 5 innings at 12.75. In the IPL 2025 mega auction, DC snapped him up. He played 5 matches (4 innings) and scored 121 runs at 40.33. He smashed a fifty and struck at 153.16, as per ESPNcricinfo.
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Tejasvi Singh Dahiya - Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders secured the services of wicketkeeper-batter Tejasvi Singh Dahiya for ₹3 crore at the auction table. In his short career so far, the 23-year-old Delhi player has played six T20 matches and scored 113 runs (4 innings) at a strike rate of 168.65.
#6
Ashok Sharma - Gujarat Titans
Ashok Sharma, a 23-year-old right-arm pacer from Rajasthan, was sold to Gujarat Titans (GT) for ₹90 lakh at the IPL 2026 auction. He claimed 22 wickets across 10 games to finish the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as the joint-highest wicket-taker. Ashok's ability to consistently bowl above 140km/h and strike has earned him trials with multiple IPL franchises. He could be a superb performer.
#7
Kartik Sharma - Chennai Super Kings
CSK stunned one and all by signing uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma for ₹14.2 crore at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. 19-year-old Kartik was a standout performer for Rajasthan in the 2025 SMAT, scoring 133 runs in five games at a strike rate of over 160. He has also maintained an impressive strike rate of 162.92 throughout his T20 career, which now spans 12 matches.
#8
Prashant Veer - Chennai Super Kings
At the mini-auction, CSK dished out ₹14.2 crore for the 20-year-old Prashant Veer. With this deal, Veer became the joint-most expensive uncapped player in IPL auction history. Veer has played just nine T20 matches so far, scalping 12 wickets at a fine economy of 6.45. The dasher has also tallied 112 runs in these games at a fine strike rate of 167.16.
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Danish Malewar - Mumbai Indians
22-year-old Danish Malewar of Vidarbha, will be seen playing for Mumbai Indians. The young batter is yet to play white-ball cricket. He averages a solid 49.42 in First-Class cricket, having amassed 1,285 runs. He has three hundreds and 10 fifties.