Asia Cup 2023: Tilak Varma to Towhid Hridoy - Six players from Six Teams who can surprise you!

Add as a preferred source on Google

The Asia Cup 2023 is on the horizon. The continental tournament returns to its traditional 50-over format this year and starts on Wednesday (August 30).

The tournament this year has adopted a hybrid host model and is being co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The six-nation tournament will see the traditional Asian giants India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka play along with Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal.

The six teams have been divided into two groups. India, Pakistan and Nepal are slotted in Group A, whereas Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan belong in Group B.

The squads of all the teams have been announced and there are some names which have raised a few eyebrows. In this article, let us have a look at six players across six teams, one from each, which can come up as a surprising factor at the end of the tournament.

Asia Cup 2023: Six Players who can Surprise in the Tournament

Here are Six Players who can emerge as a surprising factor in the Asia Cup 2023

Sompal Kami (Nepal)

Sompal Kami is a top-notch bowling all-rounder for Nepal, who as played 47 ODIs in his career. The 27-year-old has a healthy batting average of 20.8 and is known for his batting down the order. But Kami is mainly known for his pace bowling, where he so far has scalped 63 wickets in ODI cricket.

Kami is just 2 wickets away from getting 100 international wickets across all formats. Despite Nepal being in the tough group with India and Pakistan, Kami is one of the players who can shine in the group stages.

Saud Shakeel (Pakistan)

Saud Shakeel's late inclusion in the Pakistan squad has definitely raised some eyebrows. The batter has mostly been underwhelming in limited overs format but he has roped in as a squad member recently.

Shakeel can be a surprising element in the tournament. The 27-year-old is a middle-order batter who has done extremely well in Test cricket. Even in ODIs, the talented player has a half-century to his name but needs considerable improvements to cement a place. Asia Cup can be the perfect opportunity for him if he gets a chance.

Towhid Hridoy (Bangladesh)

Bangladesh's 'Noyoner Moni' (Gem of the eye) Towhid Hridoy is an exciting talent, to say the least. Towhid has been a consistent performer for the Tigers in recent months and has forced his way into the Asia Cup squad.

He is known for his aggressive batting and has shown decent consistency in his shot ODI career. The 22-year-old has scored 338 runs in 9 matches with an average more than 48. Hridoy scored 92 runs on his debut against England earlier this year, which is the highest individual score by a Bangladeshi on ODI debut.

The youngster can be a driving force in the Bangladesh batting unit and can make a bigger name for himself at the end of this tournament.

Noor Ahmad (Afghanistan)

Amid the stardom of Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and others, a teenager who can emerge as the biggest star at the end of the Asia Cup is Noor Ahmad. The 18-year-old left-arm chinaman bowler looks destined to do bigger things and Asia Cup can be the start of it.

He has already done extremely well for Gujarat Titans in the IPL and recently shined in the Lanka Premier League as well. He will be aiming to replicate that in national colours in the 50-overs format. Ahmad's accuracy and deceptive ability can be a huge weapon in the slow tracks of Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Hence keep an eye on him.

Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka)

Dimuth Karunaratne is mainly known for his Test-playing prowess. The left-handed opener is a sturdy player in the Red Ball game but has an average of around 35 in 40 ODI innings.

Karunaratne can provide stability at the top of Sri Lanka's batting and is going to be pivotal for their hopes in the Asia Cup. His ODI appearances have been few and far between, but the player can excel in this tournament.

Tilak Varma (India)

Tilak Varma's rise in IPL has opened India doors for him. The player was involved in the West Indies and Ireland T20Is and so far has made a decent start to his international career.

The player will be hoping to make his ODI debut in the Asia Cup and we can expect him to utilize the chances if he gets the opportunity. Shreyas Iyer is back in the squad but if things go wrong, we may see Tilak coming in at the no. 4 position.

The 20-year-old has a head beyond his age and can be a top performer come the end of the Asia Cup. With World Cup around the corner, it can be a life-changing few weeks for the youngster, so it is mandatory to keep an eye on how things pan out for Tilak in Sri Lanka.