Who won the first IPL Emerging Player award in 2008?

Shreevats Goswami won the first IPL Emerging Player award in 2008.

The award was introduced for the inaugural IPL season and was then intended to recognise the best Under-19 player. Goswami, a wicketkeeper-batter from Bengal, represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore and became the first name on the award’s winners list.

The award’s eligibility rules and title changed over time. It was aimed at Under-23 players in 2009 and 2010, was called Rising Star of the Year in 2011 and 2012, and adopted the name Emerging Player of the Year from 2014. Rohit Sharma, Saurabh Tiwary and Iqbal Abdulla also won it, but in later seasons.

Goswami’s 2008 recognition is sometimes confused with later winners because several young Indian players from that era became prominent international cricketers. The award has also been won by overseas players, most notably Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman in 2016.