Where Are the IPL Emerging Players Now?
The IPL has now completed 19 seasons, and ever since its inaugural edition in 2008, the tournament has recognized one standout youngster each year with the Emerging Player Award. Some of these promising talents went on to become global superstars, while others struggled to fulfill their early promise and faded from the highest level of the game.
A glance at the list of Emerging Players since 2008 tells an interesting story about the unpredictable nature of cricketing careers.
The first-ever winner in 2008 was Bengal's Shreevats Goswami. At the time, he was considered one of the brightest young prospects in Indian cricket. Yet despite the early recognition, he was unable to establish himself at the highest level.
In 2009, the award went to Rohit Sharma. What followed is now cricketing history. Rohit became one of India's greatest batters, captained the national team for an extended period, and cemented his place among the legends of Indian cricket.
The following year, however, tells a different story. Saurabh Tiwary, the 2010 Emerging Player, showed immense promise but could never truly build on his early success.
Similarly, Iqbal Abdulla (2011) and Mandeep Singh (2012) were unable to fully live up to the expectations that accompanied their awards.
The fortunes changed again with Sanju Samson, the 2013 winner. After years of perseverance and hard work, Samson established himself in international cricket and became a regular figure in the Indian setup.
The next few winners enjoyed even greater success. Axar Patel (2014) and Shreyas Iyer (2015) have become key figures in Indian cricket and continue to perform consistently on the international stage.
Then came Basil Thampi, the 2017 winner, who burst onto the scene but could not sustain his rise. His career serves as another reminder of how difficult it is to remain at the top level.
Rishabh Pant, the 2018 Emerging Player, has largely fulfilled the enormous expectations placed upon him and continues to compete among the game's elite despite facing significant challenges along the way.
The 2019 winner, Shubman Gill, has perhaps followed the ideal trajectory. From emerging talent to established superstar, Gill has become one of the leading faces of Indian cricket and now captains the national side.
As for Devdutt Padikkal (2020) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (2021), it is still too early to deliver a final verdict. Both continue to progress and remain important prospects in Indian cricket.
The story is less encouraging for Umran Malik, the 2022 winner. After generating enormous excitement with his pace, he appears to have fallen behind in the race to secure a permanent place at the highest level.
The most recent winners—**Yashasvi Jaiswal** (2023), Nitish Kumar Reddy (2024), and Sai Sudharsan (2025)—all seem firmly on track. Each has continued to impress and is competing at the sport's highest levels.
Yet many observers believe that the 2026 Emerging Player may be unlike any previous winner.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi has captivated the cricketing world with a level of talent and maturity rarely seen in someone so young. Across the IPL's previous 18 editions, few—if any—Emerging Players have generated such extraordinary excitement. While most winners enter discussions about how far they might eventually go, Suryavanshi appears to have already moved beyond those debates.
His future may still be unwritten, but the outline is becoming increasingly clear. If he continues on his current path, he could redefine what it means to be an IPL Emerging Player and set a new benchmark for the generations that follow.
