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

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.