From Ramakrishna Ghosh to Vishal Nishad…these 5 unknown players will become stars in IPL 2026

Only a few days are left for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to start. The first match of the new season is to be played on Saturday (28 March) between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Like every season, this season too the fans are going to keep their eyes on the star players but young Josh is also ready to steal the limelight again.

IPL is known for giving a platform to young players. By performing well here, players come into limelight overnight. This tournament has brought many players out of obscurity. Read about those 5 players who can become stars in IPL 2026.

Also read: Most expensive sold in auction but how was the performance? Know the story of last 5 IPL

Ramakrishna Ghosh

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) surprised everyone by retaining Maharashtra all-rounder Ramakrishna Ghosh for Rs 30 lakh. CSK did not field Ramakrishna even in a match last season. In such a situation, the fans were a little surprised when he was retained. After this, 28-year-old Ramakrishna created a stir with ball and bat in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 and explained why confidence has been shown in him. Apart from taking 17 wickets in 7 matches, he also scored 225 runs at a strike rate of 119.04. Ramakrishna had taken 7 wickets against Himachal Pradesh in this List-A tournament. This time, eyes will be on him in IPL also. After the departure of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran from CSK, Ramakrishna is sure to get a chance.

Mangesh Yadav

Mangesh Yadav of Madhya Pradesh is going to play for RCB. Defending champion RCB had made a huge bid of Rs 5 crore 20 lakh for him in the mini auction. 23 year old Mangesh has emerged from Madhya Pradesh T20 League. He made his name in this league last year by taking 14 wickets in 6 matches. RCB captain Rajat Patidar was especially impressed by his death bowling. Mangesh is also adept at batting brilliantly in the lower order. Recently, he came in at number eight against Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and scored unbeaten 28 runs in 12 balls. He is being seen as the perfect replacement for Yash Dayal in controversies.

Also read: Kavya Maran spent 13 crores on a flop player, will SRH sink again?

Vishal Nishad

Mystery spinner Vishal Nishad has been bought by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for Rs 30 lakh. Vishal had caught the attention of IPL scouts with his excellent bowling while playing for Gorakhpur Lions in the UP T20 League, after which PBKS bid for him in the mini auction. 20-year-old Vishal has not played any match for Uttar Pradesh yet but he will be seen handling the spin department of PBKS along with Yuzvendra Chahal in the upcoming IPL season.

Ashok Sharma

Right-arm fast bowler Ashok Sharma is in the team of Gujarat Titans (GT). GT has signed him for Rs 90 lakh. Ashok, who comes from Rajasthan, was jointly on top in terms of taking most wickets in SMAT 2025. He took 22 wickets in just 10 matches. Ashok is known for consistently bowling the ball at a speed of 140 kmph. Before this, he has been a part of the squads of Kolkata Knight Riders (2022) and Rajasthan Royals (2025). However, he did not get a chance to make his IPL debut. This time there is a possibility that his dream will be fulfilled.

cranes phuletra

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has made a big bet on an unknown spinner like Cranes Phuletra by releasing big leg spinners like Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar. SRH had called this left arm wrist spinner as a net bowler last season. After Zampa’s injury, Phuletra was about to be included in the main squad of SRH but some obstacles arose due to which this could not happen. Actually, Phuletra had not registered his name for the IPL 2025 mega auction. Due to this he could not be included in the SRH squad. SRH did not miss the opportunity to sign him in the mini auction and bid Rs 30 lakh. Now he will lead the spin department of SRH along with Zeeshan Ansari. Phuletra plays for Saurashtra in domestic cricket. He has played only one List-A and two T20 matches so far in his professional career.