IPL 2023: Most Valuable Player
Shubman Gill, a right-handed top-order batsman from Punjab who is known for his love of huge runs, was selected as the vice-captain of the India Under-19 team for the 2018 World Cup as a result. Prior to that, he played for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy in late 2017 and made his first-class debut there with a half-century and an aggressive 129 in the following game.
Gill consistently played at an age-group level higher than his and was a key component of Rahul Dravid’s plans for the Under-19 World Cup. In the Punjab Inter-District Under-16 tournament in 2014, he scored 351, and he and Nirmal Singh shared the opening stand record with 587 runs. He scored an undefeated double-century in the Vijay Merchant Trophy on his Under-16 state debut for Punjab. He later shared the platform with his hero Virat Kohli to accept the BCCI award for best junior cricketer, which he had won the previous two years, 2013–14 and 2014–15.
He scored 351 runs in four innings while playing for the national Under-19 team, winning the Man of the Series award for the Youth ODI series against England at home. He scored the most again during the reciprocal trip, his first under English conditions, with 278 runs in four innings. India won both of the series. On the day of the 2018 IPL auction, Gill was selected by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 1.8 crore (about USD 281,000), while he was still in New Zealand for the World Cup.
