Indian Premier League, since its first edition, has proved to be a stage for the youngsters to showcase their talent. As the game of cricket gained popularity in the country, breaking into the national side became tougher and tougher. While playing for the country remains at the top, with the IPL now, youngsters in the country have an alternative to becoming successful cricketers.

When IPL came into existence in 2008, it always had the motive of promoting young talents in the country. The Emerging player of the year was introduced with the purpose of recognizing the best young talent in the league. In 2008, this award was known as the “Best Under-19 Player”. Shreevats Goswami of RCB was the first winner.

In 2009, the name changed to “Best Under-23 Player” and Rohit Sharma bagged that award, followed by Saurabh Tiwary next year when it was known as “Under-23 Success of the Tournament”. For the next 2 years, it was changed to “Rising Star of the Year” and Iqbal Abdullah and Mandeep Singh were the winners.

In 2013, it went by the name “Best Young Player of the Season” which was won by Sanju Samson. In 2014, “Emerging Player of the Year” came into existence. Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Mustafizur Rahman, Basil Thampi and Rishabh Pant have been the receivers of the award in the last few years.

Shubman Gill received the award in 2019 after a stellar year with Kolkata Knight Riders. The right-hander was impressive in the Under-19 World Cup 2018 which earned him a place in the prestigious franchise. With some wonderful knocks, he deservedly won the prize.

-Stats as of IPL 2019

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