Every year the Indian Premier League witnesses some magnificent performers showcasing their tremendous performances which elevate the status of the tournament to a new high.
Some of the stalwarts of international cricket have graced the tournament with their exceptional performances over the years and this year too the story hasn’t been any different.
However, the Indian Premier League is a platform for unearthing youngsters too and has seen some performers doing their job efficiently without really taking up the limelight from the other big named players.
This year’s IPL has seen performers perform on the field when no one really expected them to do much. Let’s talk about 5 such unsung heroes in the tournament so far.
Ambati Rayudu
The talented Mumbai Indians middle-order batsman has been a silent performer for the Mumbai franchise over the years and he has often bailed the team out of trouble on many occasions.
He is one of the pillars of that Mumbai batting order and in this season too he has been doing his job admirably. Rayudu is the second highest run-getter after Rohit Sharma for the Mumbai team this season. He has already scored 217 runs at an average of 36.16 in the 7 games he has played.
Well, it is always the Pollards or the Sharmas who get all the accolades, but someone like Rayudu should also be credited for what he has done for the team. In the last match too, it was his partnership with Parthiv Patel that changed the course of the game as Mumbai registered their 3rd win of the tournament
Umesh Yadav
The lanky Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler has been one of the key performers for the team this season as the KKR captain relies on him to bowl in the powerplay as well as at the death.
He repaid the faith of his captain with his performances with the ball as he has picked up crucial wickets and also checked the flow of runs at the death overs.
The KKR spinners get all the bouquets but it is someone like Umesh who should also be credited for his performance this year.
He has picked up 5 wickets in the 4 matches he has played and his economy rate of 6.83 is outstanding. He has often received brickbats for his wayward bowling in the past and it seems that he has worked on that.
Gautam Gambhir will surely want Umesh Yadav to continue his form in the rest of the tournament.
Dhawal Kulkarni
The Gujarat Lions bowler Dhawal Kulkarni always relies on his swing and lateral movement to trouble the batsman and he has a happy knack of picking up early wickets.
Kulkarni has picked up 6 wickets in the 4 matches he has played so far and his economy is 6.61. He has given his team the early breakthroughs and his role is extremely crucial to the squad.
In the game against the Delhi Daredevils, Kulkarni picked up 3 early wickets including the important one of Quinton de Kock. Kulkarni pegged the Delhi team back with his controlled bowling and when he came on to bowl his final over he also checked the flow of runs amidst a Chris Morris blitzkrieg.
The young seamer doesn’t get too many plaudits as the star-players like Bravo, Jadeja who often get mentioned ahead of him. But this young man surely deserves a pat on his back for his consistent performances.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Sunrisers Hyderabad swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar is having a great tournament this year. While the limelight is entirely focusing on the Bangladesh pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman, one Indian bowler is calmly doing his job and aiding his team to a great extent.
He is currently second in the highest wicket-takers’ list with 9 scalps and he is the one who provided his team the early breakthroughs they were looking for.
Kumar seems to have regained his swing and rhythm as he is bowling a great channel and troubling the batsmen with his swing and lateral movement. He bowled Aaron Finch out for a duck and that was a crucial talking point in their match against the Gujarat Lions as Finch was in great form before the game.
Well, Mustafizur deserves all the plaudits for sure but one shouldn’t forget the efforts of Bhuvi as well.
Shane Watson
The recently retired Australian all-rounder Shane Watson is the lone horse in the RCB bowling line up as their bowling has faltered once again this season. However, his name hasn’t been mentioned in the same breath as someone like Virat Kohli or AB de Villiers.
His batting hasn’t lived up to the expectations so far but his bowling has been the only bright spot for the beleaguered RCB bowling line up as he is the only one who has stood up with the ball for them.
The veteran all-rounder has picked up 7 wickets and it was his penultimate over in the game against the Rising Pune Supergiants which propelled RCB to a victory. He picked up two wickets including the key wicket of Thisara Perera who was going berserk and only conceded 4 runs to tilt the match in RCB’s favour.
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