This is the sixth in a series of features where we will be taking a detailed dive into the various factors that stood out during the course of the Indian T20 League 2020 season.
Just like previous editions, we saw some fine young talents turning the heat on in the recently concluded Indian T20 League season as well.
"One of the things I most enjoy is keeping an eye on budding talents," said Lee.
"To that end, this year's Indian T20 League offered up some tantalising prospects for the future. We saw Padikkal's consistency shine through for Bangalore as he ended up as their highest run-scorer. Then there was Ruturaj Gaikwad finally coming good once let out on a longer leash by Chennai. As the old guard eventually bows out, these are some of the names I see shining bright in the years to come."
So, here we take a look at some of those youngsters and how they performed during the course of the tournament.
Devdutt Padikkal and his consistency
Everyone had a lot of expectations from the 20-year-old at the beginning of the season. He had scored heaps of runs across all formats in domestic cricket prior to the Indian T20 League and he didn't let anyone down when he got the opportunity to open for Bangalore in this tournament as well.
Padikkal not only scored a fifty on his debut but also went on to give consistent returns at the top of the order throughout the season, which saw him becoming the highest run-getter for Bangalore as well. By the end of the season, Padikkal had 473 runs to his name at an average of 31.53 and these runs included five scores of fifty or more.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and his mature knocks
The 23-year-old batsman from Maharashtra didn't get the same kind of backing in the first half of the season from Chennai as Padikkal got from his team. However, he showed what he is capable of when he was given his chance to open the innings in the last few matches.
Gaikwad went on to score 199 runs at an average of 99.50 in his last four innings combined and that included three consecutive fifties as well. All of these three half-centuries turned out to be match-winning knocks for Chennai. The best part about his knocks was the maturity with which he played. Gaikwad remained unbeaten in two out of these three occasions and thus guided his team over the line.
Kartik Tyagi's pace and impeccable yorkers
Kartik Tyagi's bowling numbers in this season -- nine wickets at an average of 40.77 -- might not appear to be that impressive but it would be harsh to judge the youngster based just on these numbers. Tyagi bowled regularly at speeds of over 140 kph and thus troubled a lot of batsmen with his pace and hard lengths.
The 20-year-old also showed an exceptional ability to bowl accurate yorkers. He had already done that in the U-19 World Cup earlier this year, but it takes immense confidence and courage to do that consistently against quality international batsmen on this stage.
Arshdeep Singh and his accuracy
He is another young pacer who impressed in this edition of the Indian T20 League. The left-arm seamer played eight matches for Punjab and picked up nine wickets at an impressive strike-rate of 16.55. Arshdeep performed well both with the new ball and in the death, but his most impressive quality was his accuracy of line and length.
He kept teasing the batsmen with good length deliveries in the off-stump channel in the powerplay overs and when it came to bowling in the death, he executed the yorkers beautifully as well. Arshdeep doesn't have the same pace as someone like Tyagi but he showed what a bowler can do with accurate lengths and clever use of angles.
