IPL 2025: From Virat Kohli, Prithvi Shaw to Ishan Kishan and more; which India U19 captains made it big in the IPL?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) began on April 18, 2008, and gave many up-and-coming stars the chance to showcase their potential and make it to what is now considered the biggest cricket league in the world. Among these players were the rising young talents from the U19 Indian cricket team, who, after a terrific start at the U19 World Cups, were picked by various franchises. While some made it big, others faded into the background. Here's a look at the U19 captains and where they are in the IPL circuit today.

Amit Pagnis:

He was the captain of the inaugural U19 Indian World Cup team for the tournament held in Australia in 1998. However, the cricketer never played for India nor featured in any IPL team. He, however, become the coach of the Mumbai for 2020-21 season.

?Notable players from the 1998 batch: Mohammad Kaif, Virender Sehwag, and Harbhajan Singh.

Mohammad Kaif:?

India won the 2000 U19 World Cup in Sri Lanka, with Kaif playing a key role in their six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka. He was also part of India's joint-winning team at the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and a runner-up in the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Known as one of India's best fielders, Kaif was taken by Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the inaugural IPL season, before he moved to Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2010 and later to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2011. After retiring as a player, Kaif became the assistant coach for Gujarat Lions in 2017 and later joined Delhi Capitals (DC) as assistant coach for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

?Notable players from the 2000 batch: Yuvraj Singh, Venugopal Rao, Ajay Ratra

Parthiv Patel:?

India reached the semi-finals of the 2002 U19 World Cup but lost to South Africa by 112 runs. Patel, however, did grab the attention of many and made his India debut at the age of 19. He was auctioned by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the inaugural IPL and then moved to Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011. He was then picked by the now defunct Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in subsequent seasons. In 2015, he joined Mumbai Indians (MI) and later again made a return to RCB. After retiring, Patel became a Talent Scout for MI and a commentator for IPL and international matches. In November 2024, he was appointed as the assistant and batting coach of Gujarat Titans (GT) for the upcoming IPL season.

?Notable players from the 2002 batch: Suresh Raina, Stuart Binny, Gnaneswara Rao, Paul Valthaty

Ambati Rayudu:

The batter led India in the 2004 U19 World Cup which lost to Pakistan in the semi-final.? He has won the IPL trophy a record six times, being the only player other than Rohit Sharma to achieve this feat. He played for Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL. On 28 May 2023, prior to the 2023 IPL final, Rayudu announced that it would be his final IPL match and on 29 May 2023, Rayudu announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket.

?Notable players from the 2004 batch: Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, R. P. Singh, Robin Uthappa

Ravikant Shukla:?

The left-handed middle-order batsman captained India to their second U19 World Cup final in 2006, but they were defeated by Pakistan. He never played for India or any IPL franchise.

?Notable players from the 2006 batch: Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, Piyush Chawla, Manish Pandey

Virat Kohli:?

India, in the 2008 U19 World Cup defeated South Africa and won their 2nd title. Virat Kohli became an overnight star and earned an IPL contract with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) that same year. He has remained loyal to the franchise ever since. Though RCB has yet to win an IPL title, they boast one of the strongest fanbases. After leading India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup and being named Player of the Match in the final, the 'King' as he is called, announced his retirement from T20Is, but continues his dominance in ODIs and Test games.

?Notable players from the 2008 batch: Ravindra Jadeja, Abhinav Mukund, Siddarth Kaul, Manish Pandey, Saurabh Tiwary

Ashok Menaria:?

The left-arm spinner was the captain of the Indian U19 team in the 2010 World Cup, where they lost in the quarter-finals against Pakistan. Menaria never got the chance to debut for the Indian national team. However, he made his mark in the IPL, playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR) from 2011 to 2013.?

?Notable players from the 2010 batch: Mayank Agarwal , KL Rahul, Saurabh Netravalkar, Sandeep Sharma, Jaydev Unadkat

Unmukt Chand:?

The young lad led India to victory in the 2012 U19 World Cup, defeating Australia making him the third Indian captain to lift the trophy. While he never made his debut for the senior Indian team, Chand went on to captain the Delhi state side. He made his IPL debut in 2011 for Delhi Daredevils and was later purchased by Rajasthan Royals (RR) during the IPL 7 Auction. In 2015, he was picked up by Mumbai Indians (MI), where he won his first IPL title, though he played only a limited role in most matches. In August 2021, Chand announced his retirement from domestic cricket in India.

?Notable players from the 2012 batch: Sandeep Sharma, Hanuma Vihari, Rush Kalaria,?

Vijay Zol:?

Under his captaincy, India reached the quarter-finals of the 2014 U19 World Cup unbeaten but was knocked out after losing to England. Zol never debuted for India but in 2013, he was named to the India "A" squad for longer formats and scored a maiden century on his first-class debut in an unofficial Test at Visakhapatnam. In 2012, he signed a youth contract with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) but didn't make it to the main squad.

?Notable players from the 2014 batch: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Sarfaraz Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ricky Bhui

Ishan Kishan:?

Under his captaincy, India reached the final of the 2016 U19 World Cup but lost to the West Indies. Ishan Kishan made his international debut in March 2021 against England. He was bought by Gujarat Lions in 2016 in the IPL and retained for the 2017 edition. He then joined Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2018. Ahead of the 2022 IPL, he was bought again by MI for ?15.25 crore, making him the second-most expensive Indian player after Yuvraj Singh at that time. He was retained for 2023 and 2024 before being bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2025 auction.

?Notable players from the 2016 batch: Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Mahipal Lomror

Prithvi Shaw:?

The talented lad had led India to victory in the 2018 U19 World Cup. Already a rising star in domestic cricket, Shaw made his international debut in October 2018, becoming the 2nd-youngest Indian to score a Test century. In the 2018 IPL, Shaw was bought by Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and at 18, he became the youngest player to open in IPL history. Shaw also made history in 2021, hitting six boundaries in an over. However, due to concerns over attitude and inconsistent form, he was let go and he went unsold in the 2025 IPL mega-auction.

?Notable players from the 2018 batch: Shubman Gill, Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh

Yash Dhull:?

The lad captained India to victory in both the 2022 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup and the 2021 ACC U19 Asia Cup. Before making his senior debut, Dhull was bought by Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 2022 IPL auction. However, he went unsold in the mega auction, failing to attract any bids.

?Notable players from the 2018 batch: Raj Angad Bawa, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Angkrish Raghuvanshi

Uday Saharan:

He captained Team India in the 2024 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup where India lost by 79 runs against Australia. He has not yet made his India debut and not taken by any IPL franshise as well.

?Notable players from the 2024 batch: Musheer Khan, Arshin Kulkarni, Raj Limbani