The Indian Premier League is not an easy place for even the most seasoned players, let alone the young stars who have risen up through domestic structure and are hoping for a big breakthrough. We look at some of the top breakout stars from the 2023 edition of the tournament.

Yashasvi Jaiswal 

As the breakthrough season goes, this would be among the most memorable ones ever seen in the IPL. Yashasvi Jaiswal went from strength to strength as the season progressed, carrying the Rajasthan Royals’ batting unit on his own while his opening partner Jos Buttler and the skipper Sanu Samson blew hot and cold. Jaiswal compiled over 600 runs at an astounding strike rate of 163.62, and was adjudged as the Emerging Player of the Season. Thanks to a prolific campaign, Jaiswal will be watching the much-anticipated World Test Championships final from the pavilion at The Ovals, after being announced as a replacement for Ruturaj Gaikwad as a standby opener. 

Rinku Singh 

For those who follow IPL religiously, the name Rinku Singh needs no introduction. He has been a part of Kolkata Knight Riders for quite some time, but his job was largely limited to watching the action from the sideline. His role changed drastically this year though. He was no longer the man to serve drinks to his teammates, but someone whose major responsibility now was to bail out the team from the trickiest of situations, and he did this job with remarkable clarity and consistency.  

This season he became a household name after pulling off an improbable heist against Gujarat Titans, smashing five sixes in a row to propel his team across the target. Rinku was the lone bright spot in an otherwise mediocre campaign from Kolkata, amassing 474 runs despite coming to bat at a lowly position. If he manages to replicate his IPL form in domestic cricket, the doors to the national team might open sooner, as India aim to zero down on the finisher role ahead of next year’s T20I World Cup. 

Sai Sudharsan 

Naturally, there are not a lot of expectations from a player who is picked up at the base price, for it shows a clear lack of interest from the stakeholders. But the amount one gets in the auction is guided by the whimsical force of a market, and it rarely represents the true value of a player, as a 21-year-old Sai Sudharsan reiterated this season with his scintillating knock in the final that belied his age and salary.  

Sudharsan started slow but gathered momentum in no time and showed why he is rated so highly in the Tamil Nadu cricket fraternity. Only a few days ago Sudharshan drew the ire of fans for his relatively placid knock that convinced the skipper Hardik Pandya to retire him out. Sudharsan, however, put that episode behind him and lit up the jam-packed stadium for the summit clash against Chennai with his ruthless intent and precise execution of strokes. He missed what would have been his maiden century in IPL by four runs. 

Tilak Varma 

Not often do we see a young player featuring in 14 IPL matches in his IPL debut season, especially if you play for a star-studded squad like Mumbai Indians. Tilak Varma never looked out of place last season, and if there ever was a concern for a sophomore slump, he has buried those doubts to rest with another stellar campaign, where he accumulated 343 runs at an average of 42 and a strike rate of 164. In the second qualifier against Gujarat Titans, he played a whirlwind knock that arouse a glimmer of hope for Mumbai Indians. At the beginning of the season, when Suryakumar Yadav was struggling to get into the rhythm, Varma shouldered the responsibility of the middle order with great ease.  

Many greats of this format struggle when it comes to pacing their innings in the middle overs. Varma, however, seems to have got solid composure and can easily adapt his game to situations. “For someone of his age, coming out and playing the way he is, he’s got a long way to go, and we will see him play for some different teams,” said the MI skipper Rohit Sharma about Varma. 

Suyash Sharma 

Suyash Sharma is the latest in the list of mystery spinners that Kolkata Knight Riders have unearthed over the years. The leg-spinner, who represents Delhi in U-25, was bought at the base price of INR 20 lakh. In his debut for the franchise, Suyash came on as an impact substitute for Venkatesh Iyer, and claimed three crucial dismissals against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He removed Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik in the same over to turn the match on its head. He doesn’t have quirky action like that of his colleagues, Varun Chakravarthy or Sunil Narine, but he is pretty fast in the air and has very high arm speed, which makes it tough for a batter to pick him. Suyash picked up 10 wickets in eleven matches, at an economy rate of just of 8.