Siddharth Dilip Chitnis is another exuberant young Indian cricketer. He was born on May 6, 1987 in Mumbai, India. Chitnis is a right-handed batsman and bowls in an off-break manner. Until now, Siddharth has successfully represented Mumbai U-14s, Mumbai U-19s, and Mumbai Cricket Association XI.
Siddharth made his Twenty20 debut with the Mumbai Indians team in the Indian Premier League that catapulted him to fame. Here, Chitnis bowled 2 overs giving 20 runs at an economy rate of 10.00.
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 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.
The IPL made talented unknown young cricketers into overnight stars. Some of them have not played test cricket or one day cricket matches. But today they are household names in India thanks to IPL T20 Cricket. Some of these young cricketers played better than their famed counterparts and are sure to demand hefty amounts in the next year auction if BCCI lifts upper circuit on them. The future of Indian cricket seems bright what with so many of these young cricketers marching their way to glory with their refined skills and expertise on the turf.
