IPL 2017: 5 cricketers who surprised us with their performances this season

The IPL 2017 has finally come to an end as fans witnessed a nail-biting finish with the Mumbai Indians defeating the Rising Pune Supergiant in the final held in Hyderabad.

Every IPL, we witness a handful of players who surprise us with their performances on the field for their respective franchises. In 2016, we saw cricketers such as KL Rahul and Yuzvendra Chahal shine for RCB as they went on to play for the Indian cricket team as well.

The 2017 edition too saw a lot of surprise performances both with the bat and the ball. So, let’s take a look at the top 5 surprise performers in IPL 2017.

#5 Sunil Narine

Ever Since Sunil Narine was forced to change his bowling action due to his faulty action a few years ago, he has not been nearly as effective as he used to be. His wicket-taking ability took a hit and so did his economy rate. Batsmen were able to figure him out and took him on with ease.

As the IPL 2017 began, he faced the same problem and was not able to pick up wickets with as much ease as before. However, Gambhir came up with a masterful tactic which worked wonders for the 28-year-old West Indian.

Narine was promoted up the order and made to open the innings along with Gautam Gambhir, in the absence of Chris Lynn. The tactic was used in the past in the BBL and CPL as well, but not to great effect.

On the other hand, Narine’s pinch hitting ability came to the fore in the IPL as he decimated the opposition bowlers on multiple occasions. His innings against RCB will go down in history as one of the best half centuries ever. We are sure to see a lot more of Narine at the top of the order in future T20 tournaments.

#4 Washington Sundar

One of the best performers in the final

Just 17 years old, this youngster is already making a big mark for himself after his impressive performances in the IPL. Hailing from Tamil Nadu, Washington began his career as an opening batsman just like his senior Ravichandran Ashwin.

However, he found his true calling when he began to achieve success with his bowling. He was a part of the Indian squad which reached the final of the U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh last year.

Having been picked up by the Rising Pune Supergiant, he began the season slowly and was not a regular in the playing XI. However, he began to pull up his socks towards the business end of the tournament, when it mattered most.

He was the reason why RPS reached the final in the first place and gave away only 13 runs in the final which is the least runs conceded in an IPL final.

#3 Siddharth Kaul

The man with the headband

This 27-year-old’s career would have been a lot different if it wasn’t marred by injuries. He took part in only six domestic matches from 2007-12 and was struggling with form.

He did make a comeback in 2013 and was picked up by the Delhi Daredevils but did not play too well. However, he worked extremely hard over the next few years and his true calling came when he was picked up by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.

He surprised batsmen with his impact bowling this year and was one of the standout performers in a team with a strong bowling line-up. He featured in only 10 matches and managed to pick up 16 wickets.

He stood out with his looks as well having sported a headband throughout the tournament – something which he became famous for.

#2 Pawan Negi

Negi was RCB’s best player this season

He was one of the biggest buys of the 2016 auction having been picked up by the Delhi Daredevils for Rs. 8.5 crores. However, he failed miserably as he hardly featured in the playing XI and picked up only one wicket and did not impress with the bat as well.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore took a risk and bagged him up for Rs. 1 crore for the 2017 season and the decision paid dividends. He was one of the only positives from the disastrous RCB campaign this year.

He featured in 12 out of the 14 games for RCB and picked up 16 wickets thus being the most successful bowler for the franchise this season. He performed decently well with the bat too and put up a few worthy performances when the rest of the team failed.

#1 Jaydev Unadkat

Unadkat picked up a wicket in every match this season

This 25-year-old impressed everyone early on in his career with his ability to swing the ball and pick up wickets with ease. He even managed to play 7 ODIs and one Test for India as well. However, he soon faded away and was not too consistent with his performances.

He was picked up by RPS in the 2016 player auction and proved to be the unexpected match winner for them. He managed to pick up a wicket in every match he played and bamboozled batsmen with his slower variations.

He was also the third bowler who picked up a hat trick this season when he did so against the Gujarat Lions. With his impressive season, we could soon see him make a comeback to the Indian cricket team.