IPL 2022: From Umran Malik to Arshdeep Singh, young Indian pacers who are lighting it up

Every year, the Indian Premier League does what it promises to do, that is showcase raw Indian talent. This year too, it has done the same but what shines especially bright this season is the new crop of fast bowlers emerging in the country.

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While some pacers such as Umran Malik, Kuldeep Sen and Mohsin Khan are playing the role of enforcers in a bowling line-up that already boasts of specialists and experience, there are also bowlers like Arshdeep Singh who may not exactly be wicket-takers but are doing the job of either specialist powerplay or death bowlers.

Also read: IPL 2022: Umran Malik is on the super-fast lane to success

Here is a look at all the young, new standout bowlers in IPL 2022 so far:

Umran Malik

The speedster from J&K consistently clocks 150 kph and has been rattling the batters with his sheer pace in this IPL. As the games progressed, he also seems to be bowling with increased accuracy and following specific bowling plans for batters. His best performance came against the Gujarat Titans where he picked up a five-wicket haul and his four-wicket maiden over against Punjab Kings is a close second. He is also fifth on the chart for most wickets with 15 wickets in nine matches.

Kuldeep Sen

Madhya Pradesh’s Kuldeep Sen relies on his yorkers and pace to pick up wickets for Rajasthan Royals. His best performance undoubtedly came against Royal Challengers Bangalore, during which he picked up stunning figures of 4/20 during which he dented the RCB chase by bagging the wickets of Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga. He also successfully defended 15 runs in the last over against Lucknow Super Giants.

Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh of Punjab Kings may not have as many wickets to show but his miserly bowling and the assurance he provides during death overs is a reason why he is a standout pacer. A memorable performance from him this season came against Chennai Super Kings when he bowled the penultimate over with 35 needed off 12, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja at the crease. He only gave away eight runs in that over, essentially killing the chase. PBKS eventually won the match by 11 runs.

Mohsin Khan

The 23-year-old quick from Uttar Pradesh has been vital for Lucknow Super Giants so far. He did not make the starting XI because of the bench strength that the team possesses in the bowling department but in two out of four games, Mohsin Khan picked up a three-for and four-for respectively. His most impressive performance came against Delhi Capitals during which he took the big wickets of David Warner, Rishabh Pant, Rovman Powell and Shardul Thakur, making sure DC never really came back in the chase.

Mukesh Choudhary

After having a rather expensive couple of games, Maharashtra’s Mukesh Choudhary came into his own at the Chennai Super Kings. His best outing came against Sunrisers Hyderabad during which he picked up 4/46, while his 3/19 against Mumbai Indians is a close second. In the absence of Deepak Chahar, CSK needed an Indian bowler to do the job and the left-arm pacer has tried to embrace the opportunity.

Special mentions:

Yash Dayal of Gujarat Titans - 7 wickets in 4 games

Vaibhav Arora of Punjab Kings - 3 wickets in 5 games

(Statistics courtesy: ESPNcricinfo. As of match No 46, May 1)

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