IPL 2020 diary: Bishnoi to Jaiswal - young guns' hour in the sun

The 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been the perfect platform for the country’s young cricketers. Despite the tournament being staged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the eight franchises ensured they got enough exposure.

While Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh were discoveries for Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad had two young shining stars in Abdul Samad and Priyam Garg. Even Rajasthan Royals had a couple of young talents — Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kartik Tyagi — making their debut in the tournament. Coming into the IPL after a successful outing at the under-19 World Cup, Jaiswal had a disappointing tournament in the UAE, scoring just 40 runs in three games, while pacer Tyagi scalped nine wickets in 10 games, earning praise from the senior players in his team.

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“I think one of the best things about the IPL is getting to see the young Indian talents come through. It’s such a great academy-kind of thing for the young guys, where they get the opportunity to play with the best players. So, I have enjoyed knowing them and they have been outstanding talents in the team,” Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler told Sportstar.

“Kartik has played lots of games and we have seen how he has done. He is such an exciting prospect. Yashasvi hasn’t had too many chances, but we all know he is a brilliant talent. These are really exciting times for these youngsters,” Buttler, who was part of England’s 2019 World Cup-winning team, said.

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Having a ball

The IPL is all about dashing cricket, glitz, glamour and, of course, the fans! But this time, the tournament had to be conducted in empty stadiums, with fans not allowed under the COVID-19 protocols. But during every game in Sharjah, a handful of fans would wait on the main road hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite cricketers and patiently waiting for the ball to be hit out of the ground so they could grab it. Even the tournament’s official broadcaster and the franchises ensured that they caught all those precious fan moments. While the fans might have missed out on some real cricketing action this time around, they certainly had a ball in Sharjah!

A. B. de Villiers recently released a song along with South Africa’s ‘Queen of Rock’ Karen Zoid and the Ndlovu Youth Choir.

Music to the ears

The cricketing world knows A. B. de Villiers as one of the finest batsmen and a successful leader. But did you know that he is a good singer as well? The South African, who is a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), recently released a song along with South Africa’s ‘Queen of Rock’ Karen Zoid and the Ndlovu Youth Choir.

“Wrote this song with @karenzoid & the @ChoirAfrica . We’re all so different, but united we form the perfect picture!” de Villiers wrote on Twitter.

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The video features de Villiers’ RCB teammates Virat Kohli and Yuzvendra Chahal, along with his South Africa compatriots Anrich Nortje, Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada, among others.

Titled ‘The Flame,’ the song is about celebrating the human spirit in trying times and is already a hit among RCB fans. But this is not the first time that de Villiers has released an album. In 2010, he released a bilingual pop album, Maak Jou Drome Waar (Make Your Dreams Come True), with singer-songwriter Ampie du Preez, which also earned him praise.