The Indian Premier League witnesses some great young talents rising up to the occasion and bailing their respective teams out of difficult situations every year. There are few teams who do some great scouting and recognize the value of these young players who in turn become the emerging player of the season if they perform well throughout the season and match the eligibility criteria to win that award set by the BCCI. Today we will have a look at the winners of the emerging player of the season award over the years.
1. Shreevats Goswami (2008)
Shreevats Goswami won the first-ever emerging player of the season award in 2008 in the IPL. He was also the wicketkeeper of the Indian team who won the U-19 World Cup earlier that year under the leadership of Virat Kohli. Goswami played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2008 IPL and won the award for his exceptional performance.
2. Rohit Sharma (2009)
The current Indian captain was once a young sensation who won the emerging player of the season award in IPL 2009. He played for Deccan Chargers that season who went on to win the IPL trophy that year. He played some match-winning knocks for them batting at the number 5/6 which helped Chargers win the trophy.
3. Saurabh Tiwary (2010)
Saurabh Tiwary won the emerging player of the season award in 2010 playing for Mumbai Indians. He batted exceptionally well that season and kept the hopes of all Mumbai fans alive. He scored 419 runs that season with a strike rate of over 135. He kept the middle order of Mumbai’s batting together throughout the season.
4. Iqbal Abdulla (2011)
Playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders, Iqbal Abdulla won the emerging player of the season award in IPL 2011. He won the award due to his brilliant performances both with the bat and the ball. He also took some crucial and very fine catches in that season and helped Kolkata reach the playoffs for the first time.
5. Mandeep Singh (2012)
In 2012, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) was a team filled with big names and superstars of world cricket at that moment. Even in a team filled with such big names, a young rookie Mandeep Singh managed to be the star for them in the 2012 IPL season and grabbed the emerging player of the season award which he totally deserved.
6. Sanju Samson (2013)
Dishant Yagnik was RR’s wicketkeeper till the 2012 season and they didn’t want to continue with him anymore. Then, the Rajasthan Royals found Sanju Samson and made him the full-time wicketkeeper of the team. Sanju played really well that season and won the emerging player of the season award in IPL 2013. Who knew he’d later go on to become the captain of the Rajasthan Royals franchise.
7. Axar Patel (2014)
IPL 2014 was a dream season for the Punjab franchise as it was the first time they reached the finals of the Indian Premier League. They lost the final in a very close match against the Kolkata Knight Riders. There were many heroes for KXIP (now PBKS) that season but Axar Patel was brilliant. The way he bowled on such a big stage and played some crucial finishing knocks, he was named the emerging player of the season in IPL 2014.
8. Shreyas Iyer (2015)
IPL 2015 was a very poor season for the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) franchise apart from only one positive, Shreyas Iyer. He played some very good cricket that season as he scored most of the runs scored by the Delhi team. even though his team performed badly, he was given the emerging player of the season award in IPL 2015 which helped him a lot in his road to playing for Team India.
9. Mustafizur Rahman (2016)
The only overseas player to ever win the merging player of the season award is Mustafizur Rahman. He won the award in IPL 2016 playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He played a very crucial role in making his team win the trophy in 2016. He bowled exceptionally well and even took important wickets in the Final against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
10. Basil Thampi (2017)
This player from Kerala shocked everyone in the 2017 IPL as he bowled perfect yorkers throughout the season with a speed of 145+ kph. He played for the Gujarat Lions and was a find of some great scouting by them. He was an absolute treat to watch back then as he bowled beautifully in the death overs. He won the emerging player of the season award in IPL 2017.
11. Rishabh Pant (2018)
Playing for the Delhi Capitals in 2018, Pant was the only positive for Delhi that season as his team finished last on the points table. It was again a very humiliating season for the Delhi franchise where Rishabh Pant saved them to a great extent. He batted fearlessly and played a different brand of cricket in that season and showed everyone his skills. He won the emerging player of the season award and was announced as the full-time captain of the Delhi franchise three years later.
12. Shubman Gill (2019)
Player of the tournament in the Under-19 World Cup in 2018, Shubman Gill was bought by the KKR franchise in 2019 to play for them and he did not disappoint. He played very well in the 2019 season of the IPL and won the emerging player of the season award. He opened the innings for KKR that season and gave them a perfect start most of the time.
13. Devdutt Padikkal (2020)
This southpaw won the emerging player of the season award in IPL 2020 playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He opened the innings for RCB alongside the legend Virat Kohli and made Kohli play the role of a second fiddle more often than not. This statement itself shows how beautifully he batted in that season and was a very important player in the RCB setup.
14. Ruturaj Gaikwad (2021)
Ruturaj Gaikwad won the emerging player of the season award in 2021 where he played a huge role in making his team win the IPL trophy. He scored a lot of runs for CSK that season and also won the Orange Cap in the 2021 IPL.
15. Umran Malik (2022)
This bowler from Jammu Kashmir impressed everyone with his raw pace and accuracy. He bowled really fast in the 2022 IPL and won the emerging player of the season award playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad. As a result, he was retained by the SRH franchise to play for them in the 2023 season as well.
