As in every season, IPL 2023 has seen several uncapped Indian batters put their hands up to be noticed. Shashwat Kumar picks out five of the most impressive.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rajasthan Royals)

304 runs @ 38, SR: 147.57

Yashasvi Jaiswal has been one of the standout batters for RR this season, scoring at a strike rate close to 150 and averaging 38. Quite often, the left-handed batter has attacked in the powerplay and allowed Jos Buttler the time to get acclimatized to the conditions. He currently strikes at 163.15 when the fielding restrictions are in place, which is the sixth-best this season (minimum 50 runs scored).

Jaiswal also has three fifties, with his most recent half-century being a match-winning 77 off 43 against Chennai Super Kings.

Tilak Varma (Mumbai Indians)

219 runs @ 36.5, SR: 154.23

Tilak Varma has continued from where he left off last season, becoming a crucial cog in the Mumbai Indians middle order. In 2022, his 397 runs came at a strike rate of 131.02. This edition, he has taken his power game up a notch, striking at 154.23.

The left-hander also played one of the best innings of this season – away from home against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. That was not enough to power his side to victory that day but his 84* will be remembered for a long time.

Rinku Singh (Kolkata Knight Riders)

251 runs @ 62.75, SR: 158.86

Even last season, Rinku showed glimpses of his talent, nearly pulling off a miraculous run-chase against Lucknow Super Giants. This campaign, though, has seen him morph into KKR’s batting lynchpin. He has been a rare bright spot in a team that has struggled for consistency.

Good against pace and spin, Rinku seems to have properly arrived at this level and it will not be a surprise if he bags an India A gig soon. Oh, and his final-over heist against Gujarat Titans, when he hit five sixes off Yash Dayal, will forever be etched in IPL folklore.

Dhruv Jurel (Rajasthan Royals)

130 runs @ 32.5, SR: 196.97

Jurel made his IPL debut as an Impact Player against Punjab Kings and immediately caught the eye, scoring an unbeaten 32 off just 15 balls. He has played a couple of other impactful knocks too, most recently against CSK, where he smashed 34 off 15 and powered RR to an above-par total that they ultimately defended.

Jurel seems to have strokes all around the dial and has, so far, gotten off the blocks quickly. He might not have begun RR’s campaign as their first-choice finisher. Slowly but surely, though, he has become an integral part of their middle order alongside Shimron Hetmyer.

Jitesh Sharma (Punjab Kings)

145 runs @ 20.71, SR: 149.48

Jitesh truly burst onto the scene in IPL 2022, and played several impactful cameos for PBKS. And that has continued this season. On paper, that average of 20.71 might seem sub-par but Jitesh has, more often than not, injected impetus into PBKS’ innings in the middle order.

In PBKS’ win over KKR, he managed an 11-ball 21 that allowed his team to get to 191. Against MI, he produced a seven-ball 25, which helped PBKS put up an above-par total on the board. Even in the game against RCB, which Punjab eventually lost, the wicketkeeper scored 41, holding together the PBKS middle order and preventing them from crumbling and slumping to an even bigger defeat.

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