Chirag Suri

Two days after his 22nd birthday, opening batter Chirag Suri was bought in the 2017 IPL auction by Gujarat Lions. It was quite the birthday present, considering he had not even been capped in internationals for UAE. Suri never suited up for Lions, but he has demonstrated his talents in the time since his UAE international debut, also in 2017, rocketing up the career batting charts to figure among the top five run-makers in both ODIs and T20Is for his country.

He made his debut in the now-defunct Intercontinental Cup first-class tournament for Associates, and has gone on to showcase his skills in the shorter formats as a steady accumulator and sometimes match-winner at the top of the order, most often playing the anchor role while others slot in around him.

Early in 2022, Suri produced three T20I scores of 80-plus in a nine-match run across tournaments in Oman, against Nepal, Germany and Kuwait. Growing respect for him within the team was highlighted by his elevation to the vice-captaincy in early 2021 under the leadership of Ahmed Raza, though a shake-up saw both men ousted in 2022.