IPL 2018 'Emerging Player' Award: Top 10 contenders

New Delhi, May 5: As the tournament has crossed the half-way mark in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, the battle for playoffs is getting interesting and so is the race for individual awards.

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Like every season, this year is also witnessing an impressive performance from a few youngsters who are setting the stage on fire. There is a lot of focus on youngsters who are presenting their contention for the Emerging Player Award.

This award will be given by the BCCI to the player who has best demonstrated, through his performance during the season, his potential to be a future star of international cricket.

In order to be eligible for the Emerging Player Award, a player must meet all four of the following requirements:

"Be born after 1 April 1992; have played 5 or lesser Test matches / 10 or less ODI or T20 Internationals for his country; have played in 25 or less IPL matches (as of the start of the season), and have not previously won the Emerging Player Award.

As on Thursday (May 5), on the IPL's official website, voting results showed Mumbai Indians' leg-spinner paceman Mayank Markande at the top.

However, the award will be decided by a combination of public vote and commentators' choice at the end of the tournament.

Here are the top 10 contenders of the IPL 2018 Emerging Players for IPL 2018 (As on May 5):

Mayank Markande

The young spinner from Ludhiyana made his IPL debut under Mumbai Indians and impressed everyone in the very first game against Chennai Super Kings.

Till May 5, Markande scalped 12 wickets from 9 games.

Rishabh Pant

The left-handed Delhi Daredevils batsman once again looks in sublime form in this edition.from 9 innings, he has scored 375 runs at a brilliant strike rate of 180.29.

The talented young batsman has smashed 40 fours and 20 sixes in the tournament so far. Pant looks one of the top contenders for the award as he has garnered 24% votes.

Deepak Chahar

The young pacer, who represents Rajasthan in the domestic circuit, has impressed all with his swing. The right-arm pacer has scalped 6 wickets from 7 innings he has played for Chennai Super Kings.

Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana has emerged as the best middle-order batsman for his team. In 8 innings he has played for Kolkata Knight Riders the left-handed batsman from Delhi has so far scored 188 runs and accumulated runs at a strike rate of 135.25. Rana has also smashed 16 boundaries and 8 sixes, so far in the tournament.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman

The young Afghan spinner, playing his first IPL has impressed everyone. Mujeeb has scalped 9 wickets from 8 games for Kings XI Punjab. The teenager has been very economical with the ball as he's conceding at 6.87 per game.

Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj is having a gala time in Royal Challengers Bangalore and getting the confidence of skipper Virat Kohli.

From 5 innings, he has bagged 5 wickets and conceded runs at an economy of 9.25 runs per over. The Hyderabad pacer is proving that he's only getting better with every passing game.

Prithvi Shaw

The teenage cricket from Mumbai, who led India U-19 team to a World Cup victory earlier this year, has once again showcased his talent in just the 4 games he has played so far.

The right-handed Delhi Daredevils batsman slammed his maiden IPL fifty in his second game. He has so far aggregated 140 runs. He has already smashed 16 fours and 6 sixes.

Shaw has given a glimpse of his class and timing in the games he has played so far.

Jofra Archer

He might not have played so many games, but the West Indies-born pacer announced his arrival in the IPL in the very first game he played for Rajasthan Royals.

In just 3 games, he has scalped 7 wickets and impressed all with his pace.

Shubman Gill

Another India U-19 star who's grabbing some limelight with his talent is Shubman Gill. The right-handed batsman slammed his maiden IPL fifty in a crucial game for Kolkata Knight Riders against Chennai Super Kings.

Gill has scored 177 runs from 6 innings.

Ishan Kishan

The left-handed batsman from Ranchi has been in good touch for his franchise Mumba Indians. Ishan Kishan has batted well for the defending champions. He has scored 176 runs in 8 innings and has scored them at a strike rate of 138.5.