5 domestic cricketers who surprised everyone in IPL 2023

18 matches have been played so far in the 16th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). And what’s pleasing to see after these 18 games is the standout performance of young domestic cricketers who have surprised cricket observers with their game.

While all eyes were on the big guns who were sold for massive prices, their performances have hardly been extraordinary. Instead, the underdogs have put up quite an impressive show on the field. 

Many of these cricketers were discovered by their franchises, who picked them up from their respective academies, after trials. 

Here are five of those cricketers.

1. Tilak Varma (MI)

The Hyderabad scout is a new IPL find, all thanks to Mumbai Indians. The left handed batter showed his game in the first match of IPL 2023 itself, when he hammered the RCB bowlers brutally, hitting 84 off 46 deliveries. 

Though Varma made his debut with Mumbai last year, his batting strike-rate back then was at 131, and he averaged 36.09 runs in 14 matches. It was a decent performance.

But Varma upped his game in the last one year, where he finetuned his skills as a finisher. This year, his strike-rate is going above 140; and coming in at number three, Varma has been hitting the ball well.

In the last match against Delhi Capitals that Mumbai Indians won, Varma made a quick knock of 41 in 29 balls with four sixes and 1 boundary in his innings.

The next few games will see more fireworks from Varma as it is sure that Rohit Sharma will keep him at the third position to bat.

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR)

Jaiswal has been with Rajasthan Royals since the beginning of his IPL career in 2020. Till last year, Jaiswal batted with a strike-rate of 138, averaging 25 in the 10 matches he played.

However, this year, Jaiswal looks different.

Being an opener, Jaiswal knows what his team wants from him in the first six overs and he is playing the game accordingly. He played a superb 60-run knock of 31 balls in the last match against Delhi Capitals (DC), and gave the team a very good start. 

His strike rate of 164.47 this year is a good sign for Rajasthan Royals, as the team now has the leverage of two powerful batters. And this might be the reason why the franchise upped his price from Rs 2.40 crore to Rs 4 crore at the auctions this year. 

3. Suyash Sharma (KKR)

The Kolkata Knight Riders’ team should be credited with producing the finest spinners in Indian cricket. After giving a global stage to Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, the team has unearthed yet another talent in the name of Suyash Sharma.

The 21-year-old leg spinner was a nobody until April 6, 2023 when he made his debut against RCB. Suyash stunned everybody with his googlies as he got to his name 3 scalps in his spell, conceding just 30 runs. 

It was a dream debut for any player, to have 3 wickets that included the prized wicket of RCB finisher Dinesh Karthik.

Sharma hails from Delhi’s Bhajanpura area and most surprisingly, he is yet to feature in either a First Class match, a List A match, or a T20 match for his state side. He was spotted by the KKR management and was called for trials at KKR academy in Mumbai ahead of the auctions. And thereby, he was roped in at Rs 20 lakh at the auctions.

4. B Sai Sudarshan (GT)

Hailing from Chennai, the all-rounder is only 8 games old in the tournament; with 5 of the games played last year in his debut with Gujarat Titans. But Sai Sudarshan has scored 282 runs in these 8 matches with an average of 47. 

His batting strike-rate this year is above 133 and so far, he has scored 133 runs in 3 matches with an average of 68.50. Batting at number 3 position, Sudarshan has slammed two half centuries in the last two matches he has played.

His last two knocks of 53 (38) against KKR and 62 (48) against Delhi bear testimony to the fact that the all-rounder has a long way to go in this tournament.

Sudarshan, however, was acquired by GT at his base price of Rs 20 lakh and if his performance continues to soar in this manner; next year, he might go into crores. 

5. Prabhsimran Singh (PBKS)

The 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batter made his debut in 2019 with Punjab Kings (PBKS) but surprisingly, has played only 9 games in the last four years.

In fact, Singh has been a big surprise for Punjab Kings this season as he has been hitting the ball extremely well as an opener. His 60-run knock in 34 balls against Rajasthan Royals on April 5, 2023 at the Barsapara stadium was quite a spectacle.

Singh often comes down the wicket and is good at lofting the ball. Punjab roped him in for Rs 60 lakh this year.