5 Indian players who made it big on the back of their IPL performances

IPL, right from its inception, has been providing a world of opportunities to young players to show their art, and to prove their mettle before the selectors. With youngsters from humble backgrounds sharing dressing rooms with the modern greats and playing in front of full houses, IPL provides an experience no less than an international contest.

But, the internationals remain the highest bracket of active cricket and the dream for many budding cricketers. Nevertheless, IPL has proved to be a sojourn for those who dare to dream for national caps.

Here we look at five of those dreams made true by the IPL. These guys didn't just earn their caps but also went on to script a story of their own in the international arena.

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Kuldeep Yadav

Yadav first gained traction during IPL 2016 when he debuted for Kolkata Knight Riders after having been a bench-warmer for them in 2015, and for Mumbai Indians in 2012 as well. Though he only played three matches in his debut-edition, he impressed one and all with his control of the ball and the ability to trick batsmen with flight.

He added six wickets to his scalp that season at a strike rate of only 12. Following his IPL exploits, he was also included in the Duleep Trophy, where he impressed just as much to get a Test call-up for the home series against the Aussies.

Last season of the IPL saw KKR using him as a wicket-taking option. He repaid their faith in him, finishing the season with a tally of 12 wickets in as many matches at a strike rate of 20.5. He finally got his ODI call-up later- in June- for the tour of West Indie where he again shone bright coming on top of the wicket-taking list along with Jason Holder.

But his high point in ODIs came two series later at the historic ground of Eden Gardens, where he took a hat-trick against the Aussies. On the back of all such performances- the most recent being his exploits in the rainbow nation- he continues to hold his place in the team without a doubt.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal has become the linchpin of the Indian spin attack

About one and a half years before- June of 2016 to be precise- very few would have thought that a diminutive boy hailing from the heart of Haryana would walk pompously through the defence of batsmen to become the linchpin of the Indian bowling attack in such a short span of time. But that is actually what Yuzvendra Chahal did.

Chahal got his first call-up for the tour of Zimbabwe in June 2016 and instantly made his mark with three wickets in the second bout of the series. But that's not where his stars first shone brightly. It was the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League that proved a turning point in the wrist spinner's career.

After having been with Mumbai Indians for the three IPL seasons before 2014, with only a single match under his belt, he was finally bought by the RCB franchise.

Chahal's first year with RCB saw him bowling economical spells. He ended the edition with an overall tally of 12 wickets in 14 matches with an outstanding economy of 7.01 for a wrist-spinner. He has since been a regular feature in RCB's playing XI.

Next two seasons were a testament to his art. He finished the ninth and tenth editions with 23 and 21 wickets respectively, featuring in top three of the wickets' list.

His consistent performance in those two editions finally earned him much-deserved spots in the Indian ODI and T20 teams. He first outshone his counterparts in the T20s against the English side.

He has continued to do so, making him a permanent face in the ODI setup too. Sure, with Kuldeep and Chahal weaving their magic on the pitch, Ashwin and Jadeja seem pretty far back in the row.

Lokesh Rahul

Rahul acknowledging the crowd after a half-century

KL Rahul, to no one's surprise, debuted in Tests for India four years before he did in the ODIs. He was always seen as a Test player, boasting of a classic stroke-play. He even justified the selectors' trust by shining across the globe in the format- be it in Australia, West Indies and Sri Lanka.

But his ODI and subsequent T20 debut call-ups only came post-IPL 2016, where he gave a moment of epiphany for the selectors as he amassed 366 runs over the season at an extraordinary average of around 44. Scoring the runs at an eye-popping strike-rate of 146.5 he made us believe he is the one for every format.

Soon after in June, he made his ODI and T20 debuts against Zimbabwe. His debut one-day witnessed an impressive hundred from him. His innings in the first T20 against West Indies in Lauderhill still stands out among all the innings we have witnessed in the recent past. Scoring 110 off just 51 balls he single-handedly brought India close to a win which looked improbable at the end of the Carribean innings.

KL was touted to be the next opener across formats given Dhawan's dodgy run of form. But, as it turned out fortunes were not on his side as injuries kept him at bay. Nevertheless, he managed to carve a space of his own in the hearts of Indian cricket's fans. Having been with RCB in previous seasons he was bought by the Kings XI Punjab in the auction.

Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav acknowledging to the crowd after scoring a hundred against England in Pune

Although he was slowly making his space in the Indian middle-order, one innings that cemented his place came against England in his home ground of Pune. Scoring 120 with odds stacked highly against him he, along with Kohli, led India to a memorable win. But this could've been different if it were not for the seventh edition of the IPL that brought his renaissance.

What we see of Jadhav- a fluent limited overs' batter- today wasn't there to be seen in his career before the IPL of 2014. With the technique he had, he was more suited to Test cricket than the other formats. To add to his selection woes his strike-rate never spoke for itself.

But, then came the IPL. Jadhav reincarnated himself into an excellent stroke-maker, finishing the season with an amazing strike rate of 142. His efforts to attune his game to suit the demands of limited overs game had paid off.

Not only did he capture the fancies of the fans, selectors too took note of the exhibition that was Jadhav. He made his debut later that year against Sri Lanka although it was only in the series against England in January of 2017 that he came of age, and gave way for him to consolidate the middle-order spot.

Ravindra Jadeja

The "Rockstar" was the find of the very first IPL edition

Whenever a story of dreams made true by the IPL will be told this man will always feature in it. His was the first instance that made people realize the wonders that the IPL could do to Indian cricket. He debuted for Rajasthan Royals in the very first edition and caught all eyes for his valuable contributions lower down the order, and that too with a healthy strike-rate of 131. His contributions got so much traction because of the fact that he was a part of the title-winning team as well.

He didn't have to bid a lot of time for a call-up. Just before the next edition of the IPL began, he debuted against Sri Lanka in February. Though he continuously struggled for his spot in the side, he was backed by Dhoni all along- which at some point of time came under scrutiny for it was alleged that he received undue favours from the skipper due to their association with CSK.

Nevertheless, he proved once again in the Champions Trophy why the selectors had him in the team- he played a significant part in India's ascend to the trophy through his all-round skills.

His most significant contribution came in the final though. He gave Indian innings the last minute push by virtue of his 25-ball-33 knock before tying the English side with two wickets at a meagre cost of 24 runs in four overs. No wonder he was adjudged the Man-of-the-Match.

With Chahal and Kuldeep consolidating the spin department, he has largely remained away from the ODI setup of late but, that should take nothing away from what the man has provided to Indian fans.