Many young but talented Indian cricketers got a chance to display their cricketing skills. Rishi Dhawan, an 18-yr lad, was one of the youngest members in the Indian Premier League when he represented the Kings XI Punjab squad. Not only that, he is also the first cricketer from Himachal Pradesh to have been drafted for the IPL. Born on February 19, 1990, Dhawan is a right-handed batsman and fast bowler.
Being bestowed with the Ceat Cricketer of the Year award, Rishi Dhawan plays for his home state Himachal in the Ranji Trophy. Confident and hard-working, Dhawan is also credited with breaking Yuvraj Singh's record of 340 runs in the U-17 category of the game.
The IPL has brought about a lot of firsts –the auctioning of cricketers, the remunerations of the cricketers scouring the skyline, the introduction of skimpily-clad cheerleaders, the chance for young Indian cricket-enthusiasts to play alongside and learn the tricks of the trade from the cricketing giants of different countries and the intermingling of the entertainment industry with the game.
The IPL tournament that gave cricket a whole new face commenced on 18th April, 2008. 8 teams namely Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils, Deccan Chargers, and Kolkata Knight Riders were scheduled to play 59 Twenty20 matches. As the game was held on a global scale, foreign cricketers were roped in for enormous amounts to represent different teams. The team would be a mix of seasoned Indian as well as foreign players and amateur young Indian cricketers. This was done with a view of giving Indian youngsters a chance to prove their mettle. While all the teams delivered path-breaking performances, the tournament was designed to have only one winning team. After the nerve-tingling match between the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, the IPL ended on 1st June 2008 with Rajasthan Royals emerging victorious.
