SportsAdda ambassador Brett Lee was left quite surprised with the latest developments in week 1 of the Indian T20 League and revisits them in episode 2 of SportsAdda presents T20 Crazy, powered by Sportsbet.io.

During his candid conversation with Manish Batavia, the former Australian spearhead discussed his spell-bound reaction to young Rajasthan pacer Kartik Tyagi, who he said resembles his own run-up from the yesteryears. 

“The guy's quite whippy. He's not a muscular and strong guy, but you don't need to have big muscles to bowl quick. He's got a beautiful run-up; that’s one thing I always tried to do. He's definitely got that with that front arm which he pulls really hard and gets that trajectory off the wicket.�?/span>

Lee also admired the way the UP-born pacer celebrated. 

“I like his celebrations. I like the way he gets into the game, but what a quality last over to just contain them and defend that small amount in the last over.”�?/span>

Tyagi defended four off the final over against Punjab by conceding just a run and taking two key wickets to send the cricketing fraternity into a frenzy by showing nerves of steel. 

“All it takes is a boundary, and it's game over. But he defended it, got a few key wickets and congratulations to him!�?/span>

 

Kohli crumbling under pressure, maybe

The SportsAdda ambassador believes that Virat Kohli could have delayed his call on stepping down as Bangalore captain. 

“I thought he could have waited until the end of the T20 League because what happens if they go out there and win. If they win, they would want him to be the captain again next year, but he has come out and said that he won't be captaining in international cricket, or he won't be captaining Bangalore either.�?/span>

The former Australian great also discussed Kohli becoming his old self again after letting go of captaincy pressure.

“It's probably the right call. He wants to focus purely on his batting, give someone else the reins and just go back to one of the most brilliant fieldsmen, and pressure is off him from a captaincy point of view.”�?/span>

Binga certainly believes that the call taken is in the larger interest of the franchise and the country. 

“He can now focus on his batting which is the best thing for his team and the best position for India too.�?/span>

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.

We are past the halfway stage of the 2020 edition of the Indian T20 League in UAE and quite a few trends have popped up with the large grounds and uncanny wickets. While there have been some remarkable bowling performances from quite a few standout bowlers, some of these names have flown under the radar despite impressing right through the season.

Axar Patel (Punjab)

Delhi were dealt a major blow when Amit Mishra was ruled out of the season and Ravichandran Ashwin missed a couple of games. While the overseas pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje has hogged headlines alongside Ashwin, Axar Patel has done a remarkable holding job. Axar has been impactful with his middle overs bowling where he restricts teams and forces them to take on the death bowling where Rabada and Nortje await. In 21 overs in the middle overs phase this season, Axar has taken four wickets and conceded runs at a miserly rate of 5.67. The economy shows why he has forced teams onto the back-foot and given Delhi a distinct advantage.

Kartik Tyagi (Rajasthan)

After remaining on the bench at the beginning of the season, Kartik Tyagi has walked into the Rajasthan line-up and made a solid impact with the ball to give Jofra Archer some much-needed support. Among bowlers to bowl at least 30 balls in the powerplay this season, Tyagi has the third-best strike-rate, and he has also been terrific in the last five overs of the innings, conceding runs at just 7.50 when most pacers have gone at over 10 runs per over. Tyagi's presence has given Rajasthan a major boost alongside Archer in the pace department. His wickets this season include Jonny Bairstow, Quinton de Kock, Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, Shimron Hetmyer and Shane Watson.

Murugan Ashwin (Punjab)

Punjab started their season with Ravi Bishnoi as their primary spinner but slowly Murugan Ashwin has come in to aid him in the middle overs. With lots of guile and a well-disguised googly, Ashwin has been brilliant for Punjab in cutting down the run-flow and picking up wickets when needed. Ashwin has complemented Bishnoi perfectly for Punjab and the dual leg-spin threat in the middle overs has worked well for Punjab. Murugan Ashwin has picked up big wickets this season including that of AB de Villiers, Aaron Finch, Riyan Parag and Washington Sundar among others.

Varun Chakravarthy (Kolkata)

When Kuldeep Yadav once again failed to make a big impact for Kolkata, they brought Varun Chakravarthy into the starting XI and the mystery spinner from Tamil Nadu has proved more than handy. He is the sixth-most economical spinner in the season with an economy of 7.31 and has picked up seven wickets. With Kolkata's performances going awry, Chakravarthy's contributions have flown under the radar. His victims this season include David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan and Suryakumar Yadav among others.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @IndianT20League

Bangladesh youth side registered a sensational win in the finals of the under-19 World Cup to grab their maiden title at any level in a World Cup. Bowling India out for 177, Bangladesh fought through a terrific spell from Ravi Bishnoi to come out on top in the end and hand India youth side their first defeat in the World Cup. 

Here are few moments from the game where India faltered which tilted the balance to Bangladesh's way.  

The middle-order collapse

India had a strong start to their innings despite losing Divyansh Saxena early. Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal put on a 94-run partnership to drive India to 103 before Tanzim Hasan Sakib dismissed the no.3 batsman. Jaiswal was later dismissed on 88 but even then India were on 156/4 and fairly well-placed to make a decent total. 

However, Siddhesh Veer fell first ball and the lower middle-order collapsed like a heap of cards with no resilience. From 156/3 at one point, India lost seven wickets for 21 runs to give Bangladesh huge momentum heading into the innings break.

India's middle-order hadn't been tested a lot in this World Cup with the big runs coming from Jaiswal and Saxena. The lack of time in the middle showed as Bangladesh used their bowlers cleverly to run through the strong Indian side.

Holding back Tyagi and Bishnoi

If India started their innings well, Bangladesh did even better. Against Kartik Tyagi and a wayward Sushant Mishra, the Bangladesh openers laid a strong foundation. Once the opening stand of 50 was broken, India climbed back into the game through Ravi Bishnoi whose googlies had Bangladesh in a spin.

Bishnoi grabbed four wickets in the space of nine overs between the 8th and 17th and Bangladesh lost Parvez Hossain Emon who retired hurt. At this point, India were well ahead in the game. By the start of the 21st over, half of Bangladesh's side were dismissed with the team score on 85. 

Instead of persisting with Bishnoi to do more damage, captain Priyam Garg changed his end and the leg-spinner failed to generate as much impact since. Tyagi, the strike bowler, wasn't brought back until the 26th over when Akbar Ali and Parvez Hossain had started re-building strong. 

With the clouds gathering, India should have attacked with their strike bowlers early to create a breakthrough and get ahead in the DLS equation.

Extras

Bangladesh were helped in a fairly easy run-chase by some ill-discipline from the Indian bowlers. Parvez Hossain and Akbar Ali made forties but no other Bangladesh batsman had scored over 20 with only one making double digits. But they had an able 12th man in Extras, who scored 33 runs, helped by as many as 19 wides from the Indian bowlers. 

The pacers, in particular, were guilty of giving too many freebies. Sushant Mishra was lucky to be in the attack after his first spell where he sent down two beamers. He bowled four wides and two no-balls in all. Tyagi and Akash Singh added five wides apiece in their spells. 

The extra runs relieved any pressure that Bangladesh were facing from Bishnoi. That they allowed India to make their mistakes was evident when Akbar Ali was content to not score for 22 balls at a stretch towards the end. The series of dots was broken when Akash sent down three wides in an over.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @cricketworldcup

It's an all-Asian final in South Africa in the 2020 edition of the ICC under-19 World Cup as four-time champions India take on new finalists Bangladesh at Potchefstroom on Sunday. India and Bangladesh in the finals have been lop-sided affairs at all levels and India are favourites to win a fifth title on Sunday. They will, however, face stiff resistance from a few Bangladesh players. We have them, and a few Indian players in the list of players to watch out for in the finals. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal

With 312 runs in 5 matches at an average of 156 including two centuries, Yashasvi Jaiswal has clearly been the batsman of the tournament. India's left-handed opener has combined tenacity with flair and managed to be rock solid at the top for India in the tournament. In five matches against the Bangladesh youth side since the last youth World Cup, Jaiswal has 164 runs at an average just over 30. He has also been dismissed a couple of times by Rakibul Hasan, making this an interesting battle to watch out for in the finals.

Read | U-19 World Cup: Twitter reacts to India’s thumping win over Pakistan

Mahmudul Hasan Joy

Bangladesh's saviour at the top of the order and clearly their batsman of the World Cup has been Mahmudul Hasan Joy. The no. 3 batsman was the architect of Bangladesh's triumph over New Zealand in the semi-finals, scoring a fine century in a tricky run-chase to take his team home. Mahmudul has 164 runs in 5 matches against India youth side since the last World Cup and it includes a brilliant century (109), a knock he would love to repeat in the finals.

Divyaansh Saxena

India's two biggest run-scorers in the tournament have both been openers. While Jaiswal has hogged headlines for his brilliant run of form, Saxena has been an able partner, putting up brilliant partnerships and acting as the dedicated second-fiddle. He has scores of 55 and 37 against the Bangladesh youth side in the two matches he has played against them. Breaking the Indian opening pair will be one of Bangladesh's biggest tasks on Sunday.

Read | India vs Pakistan U-19 World Cup: Factors that helped India triumph

Rakibul Hasan

With 11 wickets in five matches at an average of 8.45, Rakibul Hasan, the left-arm spinner has been Bangladesh's bowler of the tournament in their run to the finals. The left-arm spinner snared five for 19 in the match against South Africa in the quarterfinals and picked up the massive wicket of Ollie White in the semis against New Zealand where he bowled three maidens in his ten-over spell that went for just 35. The spinner has dismissed Jaiswal twice in youth ODIs and will be key for the Tigers to test India's in-form opener.

Bangladesh created their own bit of history against New Zealand by qualifying for an U19 World Cup final for the first time.

Relive their superb all-round team performance. #U19CWC | #FutureStars pic.twitter.com/9k5ojRhGLu

�?Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) February 8, 2020

Kartik Tyagi

Even if Ravi Bishnoi is India's top wicket-taker in the tournament and fourth in the list of most wicket-takers this World Cup, Kartik Tyagi has been the standout bowler for them. The seamer has been exceptional with his execution of the yorkers and ability to deliver under pressure. He was instrumental in India's surge to the finals, bowling his team to an unlikely win against the Aussies after the batting floundered. Tyagi has 11 wickets this World Cup at an average of 10.91 and will be backed to run through Bangladesh's batting line-up, much like Pakistan's pace attack did earlier in the tournament.

Read | Predicting India’s chances at the U19 World Cup Finals

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @cricketworldcup