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Over the years, one of the finest contributions of the IPL has been producing a fine array of talents that ultimately make it to the national level.
This season too, we saw some mind-blowing performances from lads who were utterly inexperienced and yet impressed one and all putting their best skills on display.
Whether it were examples of great fast bowling during the death overs or repairing a broken scoreboard in the middle of an inning or instances of flawless hitting when one least expected, the youngsters in IPL 2022 did all of that.
So which players deserve to be considered in the IPL 2022 Uncapped Eleven? Let's find out.
1. Rahul Tripathi
Season after season one wondered when might Rahul Tripathi get a call up in the national side, something which is yet to happen for the right-hander.
That's despite scoring no fewer than 413 runs in IPL 2022 from just 14 games.
How do you deal with a situation where you still get overlooked from a T20 squad despite boasting a strike rate touching 160?
On his part, Tripathi did pretty much all he could to warrant a call in the Indian team. He hit 3 fifties for the Sunrisers, earned rich praise from the likes of Brian Lara and Dale Steyn, impressed onlookers as well as commentators and flayed the best bowlers of the IPL.
Though he's 31, which isn't that old for an Indian cricketer to make it to the national set-up, there's still a hint of fear that Tripathi may lose the morale if the selectors continue to overlook him.
May things turn right for the batter who did no wrong in this IPL season.
2. Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma, who's definitely among the finest names in the IPL 2022 uncapped eleven, is a fluent timer of the ball and a batsman who holds his ground up top.
The left-hander responsible for some of the finest cover drives we've seen from the SRH camp this season went on to conjure 426 runs from just 14 games this edition.
2022's performance was also Abhishek's best in any IPL edition; his previous highest tally being just 98 runs collected in the 2021 edition.
That his 426 runs were even higher than what the likes of Pooran and Markram managed for the SRH camp is something that's truly fantastic and offers a hint of his talent.
With 2 fifties and a highest score of 75, Sharma decided to collect most of his runs by way of fours, which indicates his finesse and preferred way of run-making.
All of that said, it's rather sad that the Sunrisers, much like Punjab, couldn't give their absolute best this season. Was that to be, we'd have seen more batting brilliance from Abhishek Sharma's end.
3. Rajat Patidar
At a time where, all of a sudden, there emerged chinks in the batting technique of the great Faf du Plessis and where Kohli found it hard to get going, there emerged Rajat Patidar offering great hope to the RCB.
That his incredible century, a powerful 112* against the Lucknow Super Giants was followed by a fighting fifty versus Rajasthan proved that Patidar was no flash-in-the-pan.
In some ways, he single-handedly decimated Lucknow from the business end of the tournament. Just how often do we see an IPL newcomer do such a thing?
Importantly, Patidar offered much hope to the RCB camp, something they so desperately needed when none of their big three, including Kohli, Faf, Maxwell, got going!
That he went on to collect 333 of his 404 IPL runs from this single edition is further proof of his great appetite for run making.
May the best happen to the uncomplicated cricketer who backs himself to go for the big shots and is unafraid to clear the ropes at any point of time in an inning.
4. Dewald Brevis
The fierce batsman who hits the no-look six with much ease: there's so much to love and admire about South Africa's latest export to the great game.
When on song, you simply can't turn away from the sight of Brevis belting the best of bowlers, a fine example of which was the 49 against Punjab that featured 5 huge sixes.
But even as the effort didn't help Mumbai evade a loss, Brevis single-handedly scored 49 of Mumbai's 186 runs, the most made by a batsman in a side that featured names like - Rohit, Pollard, SKY and Varma.
There's little doubt that Brevis has begun beautifully in the IPL, but going forward, here's a word of caution to the star-struck fans -
Maybe we should avoid the comparisons with the great AB, since such a tag can easily put the rising batsman under huge pressure. No one would want such a thing for the bold batsman - right?
5. Ayush Badoni
Ayush Badoni has quickly made a name for himself as a free-stroking, brave cricketer who doesn't crumble under pressure at the top of the order.
That's when all he possesses is a combined experience of no more than 13 IPL games from which he's collected 161 runs at a strike rate touching 124.
That's not an awful lot.
But that 54 of his 161 IPL runs (and this is his first season) came in a vital contest against Gujarat Titans made a case for the right hander who was acquired for INR 20 lakh in the 2022 auctions.
During his whirlwind 41-ball-knock, Badoni stepped down the wicket to famous bowlers like Shami and didn't hold himself back even against the likes of Rashid Khan.
Moreover, that the dainty cricketer scored a fifty upon his IPL debut was something truly remarkable; prior to that knock he'd scored just 7 runs on the whole from 5 T20 games.
6. Rinku Singh
Truth be told, Rinku Singh isn't just a cricketer; but a success story that holds the power to inspire one and all.
A brave cricketer that can actually hit a six at any point of time in the game, Singh brought out his A-game in the much important contest against the Lucknow Super Giants.
Though the win eventually belonged to KL Rahul's team, that Rinku fired 40 off just 15 deliveries, which is no more than two and a half overs worth of stay, helped Kolkata inch closer to the improbable 211.
Statistically speaking, Rinku Singh scored a fifth of his team's total single-handedly, something you'd truly consider incredible since it was a game where even the big guns Russell and Billings failed to get going.
Singh is also a fine fielder who patrols the outfield with great focus.
How far can Rinku take his India career, if and when that happens, will form the next big headline of the Aligarh-born's journey.
7. Jitesh Sharma
The Punjab Kings wicketkeeper batter impressed everyone with his ability to smoke clean sixes against quality bowlers. The 28-year-old, who plays for Vidarbha in the domestic circuit, rocked the IPL 2022 stage with his blistering knocks. Sharma scored 234 runs in 12 matches at an average of 29.25 and a strike rate of 163.64. Sharma also affected nine dismissals while standing behind the wicket for PBKS.
8 Arshdeep Singh
The left-arm seamer from Punjab has, well and truly speaking, played like a king this season. With his nagging consistency and ability to put a tight lid on the opposition's scoring, particularly in the death overs, Arshdeep Singh has been a quiet star of the IPL 2022.
Although, his start to the 2022 edition was anything but great; conceding 31 off his 4 overs, including 3 wide against RCB, Arshdeep showed his true class in the games that followed.
For someone who would be introduced early into the attack, the 23-year-old adapted well into the death overs, something that has helped him earn 10 wickets from 14 games.
And while that may not look all that much, the fact that Singh was only able to take 3 wickets from his first 8 games (this season) at one stage, shows how far he's come in this season.
Arshdeep ends his campaign with a bowling economy of 7.7. If that doesn't inspire envy, then what will?
9. Mohsin Khan
Mohsin Khan is, without a doubt, one of the great finds of the IPL and thankfully, the Lucknow camp brought to light a talent that could represent India in the times to come.
With fine pace, a hard-to-pick slower bouncer and the ability to angle in at the right-handers, Khan collected 14 wickets from just 9 games.
What was rather unbelievable was the economy of 5.97 despite the left-handed seamer contesting in his maiden IPL season.
It's an economy that one dreams of; one that would impress everyone, including Anderson, Johnson and even Akram!
However, the game that truly catapulted Mohsin Khan to everyone's attention was the one against the Delhi Capitals, wherein a fabulous spell of 4 for 16 stumped even the likes of Warner and none other than Rishabh Pant.
10. Umran Malik
With 22 wickets from just 14 IPL games, all of which came at express pace meant one thing and one alone: that the Jammu & Kashmir express had left the station.
Umran Malik, quite simply, did to IPL 2022 what the likes of Shoaib and Lee have done in their heyday to the best batters in the world; which is to disturb their concentration and blow away their stumps!
Though a touch expensive in IPL 2022 given an economy of over 9 an over, Malik truly stormed to everyone's attention courtesy his incredible fifer against Gujarat.
It was to be a damaging spell that conceded only 25 runs and left many a batter's stumps uprooted.
There's little doubt that Malik can turn himself into a hostile fast bowler at the international level given the brute pace with which he bowls. But whether he can sustain himself over long runs will solely depend on how well he treats his body and how effectively he can look after injury-management since fast bowlers are so prone to injuries and setbacks.11. Matheesha Pathirana
Not an action you'd like to actually emulate and not the kind of sling you can effectively bowl with; perhaps it makes sense to say that there are certain things in the game of cricket that only Sri Lankans can manage.
A schoolboy prodigy with an action that is nearly impossible to pick, Pathirana, also labeled 'Baby Malinga', burst onto the scene with his glorious dismissal of Shubman Gill.
One wonders if the CSK camp had not revealed one of IPL 2022's biggest talking points, would we have seen another bowler with such raw pace?
Though the 19-year-old from Kandy featured in just three IPL contests this season, it was the spell of 2 for 24 vs Gujarat Titans that truly unfurled the new, uncanny fast bowler on the big stage.
Furthermore, that Dhoni backed his fast-bowling prodigy extending full support should offer the right-arm pacer all the confidence he needs.