IPL 2019: Debutants who could be potential match winners for each franchise

This is the time of the year when almost all the international players will finally have a break from their national duties. Players from different countries will travel to India and make one of the eight IPL-playing cities their temporary home.

Fans all over India will be waiting to celebrate Chris Gayle's heroics, AB de Villiers' onslaught, and Shane Watson's all-round performances, forgetting the fact that these players are from different countries across the globe.

Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will commence their IPL 2019 journey against one of their arch rivals, Royal Challengers Bangalore.

While RCB will once again enter the league with the aim of winning the silverware, a few new faces at their camp will wait to prove their worth right.

The same can be said for all the other franchises out there too since all the teams have retained, dropped, traded and picked some players in the IPL auction to increase their chances of winning the coveted trophy.

As mentioned, all the teams have already sketched their plans and are ready with an XI that would start the tournament on high.

Here is the list of players from each team we think could be the potential match winners in their debut season for their respective franchise.

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#1 Chennai Super Kings: Mitchell Santner

Santner celebrates a wicket

Fans will not forget the nightmare that the Indian batsmen had during the ICC T20 World Cup game against New Zealand at Nagpur in 2016.

Mitchell Santner ended up being named as the man of the match for picking up four wickets, and giving away a mere 11 runs in his quota of four overs. His fielding prowess is also something that cannot be taken lightly.

The only hitch in the plan is that with Ravindra Jadeja, a similar style of player, already part of XI, Santner's chance of making it to the playing line-up looks little bleak. However, if and when given a chance, the Kiwi will surely be a player to watch out for.

#2 Sunrisers Hyderabad: Jonny Bairstow

England v West Indies - 3rd Twenty20 International

Jonny Bairstow is one player who should have earned his maiden IPL cap long back. He will finally be plying his trade in IPL this year for the last year's runners up, Sun Risers Hyderabad.

With Shikhar Dhawan releasing himself from the services of SRH to join the Delhi Capitals camp this year, a slot at the top is currently left empty.

In all likelihood, the pair of David Warner and Shreevats Goswami/Wriddhiman Saha will start the tournament as openers considering the four overseas slots in the team is to be occupied by Warner, Kane Williamson, Shakib Al Hasan or Mohammed Nabi and Rashid Khan.

With the lack of power hitting at the top barring Warner, the SRH management could be tempted to use Bairstow as an opener somewhere down the line. Also, his ability to play spin easily could come to his aid on pitches where spinners will have a lot to dictate.

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#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore: Shimron Hetmyer

The newest Carribean export for RCB

The Carribean soil holds the history of producing many T20 specialists. One player who has joined the list recently is the left-hander from Guyana, Shimron Hetmyer. The ease with which he clears the boundary is a mere exhibition of power hitting.

Although he is coming into the tournament on the back of a below average performance scoring a solitary 100 in his last eight international appearances (ODIs and T20s combined), he is a player who holds the potential to kill any bowler's momentum on his day.

RCB would be hoping to see some fireworks from the bat of Hetmyer, a la Chris Gayle, that could boost their middle order which has always let them down whenever Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers fail.

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#4 Mumbai Indians: Anmolpreet Singh

Anmolpreet Singh in action for India U19

An upcoming star from Punjab - Anmolpreet Singh has already made a name for himself by playing for India U-19 and India A teams. Mumbai Indians had a very good trade-off by picking this young talent. He has been in stellar form of late and scores run at ease.

Anmolpreet is a capable top-order batsman who could open the innings alongside Ishan Kishan if needed. They know each other pretty well and that could help them in providing Mumbai a solid start at the top of the innings.

Fact that he has played so many domestic games and gained experience in almost all types of pitches across the country also warrants his place in the XI. If provided a chance, Mumbai Indians could find a solution for their opening conundrum for a foreseeable future.

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#5 Rajasthan Royals: Ashton Turner

India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 4

One of the stars for the Australian team in the recently concluded ODI series against India will be making his debut in IPL this season for Rajasthan Royals. RR is known for finding talents all over the world and use them to their full potential. So, when they picked Turner in this year's auction almost everyone knew that this player has some potential.

Besides his heroics in the ODI series, he is a well-known player in the domestic circuit courtesy of his exploits in Big Bash League as a part of Perth Scorchers team.

With Steven Smith, Jos Butler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer being available for this season, Turner will have to wait for the chance to come his way.

But when the opportunity knocks his door, he is certain to grab it with both hands and make a solid statement.

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#6 Kolkata Knight Riders: Anrich Nortje

South Africa v Sri Lanka - 4th ODI

Latest sensation from South African cricket - Anrich Nortje is better known for his swing, pace and bounce. His exploits in the Mzansi Super league not only earned him an international call up but also ensured that he is picked by the KKR team for this year's mega T20 league.

Being dented by the loss of some key pacers, KKR will certainly look out for Anrich Nortje to provide them some early breakthroughs at the top and a tight spell down the order. The fact that he was considered by South Africa over Steyn goes on to show his ability with the white ball.

But when it comes to KKR side, he will have to fight for his spot against two other players - Carlos Brathwaite and Harry Gurney. While Brathwaite gives an extra batting option, Gurney's left arm pace is likely to bolster his chances too.

#7 Kings XI Punjab: Prabhsimran Singh

Prabhsimran Singh is certainly a player for the future

In this year's IPL auction, Kings XI Punjab turned everyone's head when they picked the young wicket-keeper from Patiala for a whopping 4.8 crores.

Little did they know, how efficient a batsman he is in the shorter format. Anybody who closely watched this year's Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament would be aware of what this young wicket-keeper batsman from India brings to the table.

His 54 runs off 20 balls in a match against Mumbai who had top bowlers like Dhawal Kulkarni, Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande in their ranks is a testament to his ability.

We certainly think that Preity Zinta and co have pulled off a big deal by signing this young prodigy. After all, this young lad has nothing to lose and that puts him in a better position to prove his mettle this season.

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#8 Delhi Capitals: Jalaj Saxena

Saxena could prove to be a game-changer for Delhi this season (Image Courtesy: Jalaj Saxena's Official Facebook account)

Another selection from our end that would raise some serious questions sees Jalaj Saxena being picked as a potential match winner for Delhi Capitals who enters this year's competition with a new name.

People who have watched him play for Kerala in the domestic circuit will understand the reason why he is considered as a match winner.

After being part of Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore between the period 2013-2015, Saxena has been picked by Delhi Capitals this season.

For all his exploits in the shorter format at the domestic level, it comes as a little surprise that the all-rounder from Kerala is yet to make his IPL debut.

With Delhi Capitals looking to revamp their setup completely, one can expect this talented lad to finally get his much-awaited opportunity.

We did consider Colin Ingram first but later realized that he already had an IPL stint with Delhi side in the past.

That concludes our list of players who could be the potential match winners for their respective sides in IPL 2019. Please let us know your opinion in the comments section below.