The Indian Premier League has provided a terrific platform for young cricketers to develop their skills in a competitive environment over the years. Many of them have won the IPL championship multiple times with teams like Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Kolkata Knight Riders.
However, there have been several players who have been part of previous IPL winning teams but are unknown to cricket fans. They did well for their respective IPL clubs or national teams in the next years, although not having a greater impact on the teams' performances in title victories. After being a member of these legendary teams, these teenagers received much-needed experience under the guidance of quality coaches and great personnel, and have become well-known white-ball players for quite some time.
5. Sanju Samson – Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2012
Sanju Samson, the current captain and wicketkeeper of the Rajasthan Royals, has already won an IPL trophy. He earned his Kerala state team debut at the age of 17 in the 2011/12 season. In the same season's Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 69 runs in three matches and was selected for the Indian Premier League by Kolkata Knight Riders.
Samson, on the other hand, was unable to appear in any of the games due to stiff opposition from Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, and Manoj Tiwari. Under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir, the Kolkata Knight Riders made history by winning the first-ever IPL title.
Samson made his IPL debut the following year for the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and gradually earned a national call-up. Samson had his best ever run-tally of 484 runs in the 2021 season and was retained ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. This season, the wicketkeeper-batsman will be hoping to win the title as captain.
4. Axar Patel- Mumbai Indians in IPL 2013
Axar had a similar scenario to Samson in terms of landing an IPL contract, as he was selected by Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2013 auction after scoring 82 runs and taking three wickets in four Vijay Hazare Trophy 2012 matches. However, the spin all-rounder faced stiff competition from Pragyan Ojha and Harbhajan Singh, and was unable to represent the team.
Mumbai Indians won the Indian Premier League trophy for the first time in the tournament's existence under the guidance of Rohit Sharma. Surprisingly, alongside Axar, the talented Yuzvdendra Chahal was also in the same squad.
He was bought by Kings XI Punjab in the next edition and returned as the team's second-highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets in 17 matches. He has continued to be a success story in both the Indian Premier League and international cricket since then. He is a member of the Delhi Capitals in the 2022 edition.
3. Deepak Hooda- Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2016
Deepak Hooda, a middle-order batsman, made headlines in 2014 when he became the second Baroda player to achieve a century on his first-class debut. He made his mark in the Indian Premier League the following year. Despite scoring 151 runs in 14 matches for Rajasthan Royals, his strike rate of around 160 impressed everyone.
Sunrisers Hyderabad paid 4.2 crores for Hooda's services in the next edition, which was 42 times his base salary of 10 lakhs. Despite his average of 144 runs in 17 outings and his appearance in the final, the team won their first IPL title.
In the 2021/22 season, his outstanding domestic cricket performances won him a spot in the Indian Limited-overs team. Deepak Hooda is a member of the Lucknow Super Giants team in the Indian Premier League 2022.
2. Wriddhiman Saha- Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2011
Wriddhiman, the wicketkeeper-batsman Saha's playing career deserved to be in a different decade. He couldn't get enough opportunities with the Indian team because of MS Dhoni's presence. After playing for KKR from 2008 to 2010, Saha was acquired by CSK in the 2011 edition to serve as Dhoni's backup.
Saha only managed to score 68 runs in seven outings for CSK. However, he left an indelible impression on the Chennai Super Kings Playing XI of the Indian Premier League 2011, as the team won their second trophy and became the first to successfully defend it.
After playing for CSK from 2011 to 2013, Saha moved to Kings XI Punjab, where he scored 362 runs in 17 matches to help the side reach the IPL 2014 finals. Following that, Saha was outstanding for the Sunrisers Hyderabad team.
1. Thisara Perera- Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2010
In 2010, while playing for the Chennai Super Kings, the Sri Lankan all-rounder made his IPL debut. Despite the fact that he only bowled one over and gave up 19 runs, he was able to play in one game. CSK also won their first IPL title in the same edition.
Thisara played a crucial part in leading the Sri Lankan team to the 2011 World Cup finals after learning about the conditions in India. In four matches, he took seven wickets and scored 44 runs, including an unbeaten 22 in the Finals.
Thisara has played in six IPL seasons, from 2010 to 2016, with the exception of 2015, and has represented six different clubs. He announced his retirement from international cricket in the year 2021.
