IPL 2018: 5 Karnataka cricketers who could make it big this season

Karnataka has always been a powerhouse as far as domestic Indian cricket is concerned. From the likes of Viswanath and Prasanna in the 70s, Kirmani and Binny in the 80s, Prasad and Srinath in the 90s, to Dravid and Kumble at the turn of the 21st century, the South Indian state has always produced cricketers who have proven to be match winners for the national side.

In recent years, Karnataka cricket has dominated the domestic circuit. They won the historic treble of the Ranji Trophy, the Irani Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the 2013-14 season. What further marked their dominance was the fact that they went on to repeat the same feat in the next season, retaining all the three titles.

These victories were built on consistent strong performances from a core bunch of players that includes Vinay Kumar, Stuart Binny and Mayank Agarwal, all of whom will be a part of various IPL teams come April.

As these players shone in the domestic season and most of them are currently hot property in the nation. After the IPL auction 2018, we know for a fact that the Karnataka boys are in high demand, with many of them grabbing big deals in the event.

Let us have a look at five such players who have the potential to justify their price tags and make this edition of the IPL a memorable one for themselves.

All of these five Karnataka boys will rue the fact that they would not be able to claim ‘Namma Bengaluru,’ as none of them was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore this time around.

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#5 Robin Uthappa

The right-handed opening batsman has been one of the star performers for Kolkata Knight Riders in the past seasons of IPL. The owners showed their faith in the Coorg batsman yet again and retained him using the Right to Match card for Rs 6.4 crore.

Having played 149 IPL matches, Uthappa is a very experienced T20 cricketer. He has scored 3778 runs at an impressive strike rate of 131.63 and has scored 22 half centuries as well, seven of which have won him the Man of the Match award.

Uthappa ended IPL 2014 with 660 runs, winning the Orange cap, which was instrumental in KKR winning the tournament that year. His wicketkeeping skills make him a more-than-handful resource for any T20 team. This year, with no Gautam Gambhir in their ranks, KKR may look towards Uthappa for captaincy.

He will certainly play a pivotal role in leading what is otherwise a pretty inexperienced batting line-up for the franchise.

#4 Karun Nair

Karun Nair has scored two centuries in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Stylish batsman Karun Nair has participated in 55 IPL matches and has been a member of RCB, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils. His 1158 runs have come at a strike rate of 126.97, and include eight half-centuries and a best-score of 83*.

Nair, only the second Indian batsman to score a Test triple century after Virender Sehwag, will want to use the IPL platform to be back in the reckoning for national selection.

The Kings XI Punjab franchise, where Sehwag is himself is a crucial part of the support staff, have shown faith in Nair's ability as they bought him for Rs 5.6 crores. If current form is anything to go by, Nair’s exploits in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which include 369 runs scored at 173.85, do make him someone to look out for.

#3 Krishnappa Gowtham

The all-rounder (left) was a hit in the Karnataka Premier League

This Bangalore born cricketer surely had the biggest payday of his life when Rajasthan Royals went on to pick him up for a whopping Rs 6.2 crores in the 2018 player auction. Gowtham was snapped by the Mumbai Indians in the 2017 auction for Rs 2 crores, but did not make the playing XI in any game.

Considered to be a T20 specialist, the right-handed all-rounder has scored 310 runs at a dangerous strike rate of 159.79 in 20 T20 games. To go with it, he is an effective off-break bowler and has 20 wickets to show against his name.

The Royals are a shrewd team and it may not come as a surprise if Gowtham forms an integral part of a successful campaign for the Jaipur-based franchise.

#2 Manish Pandey

Apart from being an explosive batsman, Pandey is an athletic fielder

After representing RCB, Mumbai Indians, Pune Warriors India and KKR in previous editions of the IPL, the 28-year-old Manish Pandey is set to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad this time around. The Hyderabad-based franchise bought the right-handed middle-order batsman for an astonishing price of Rs 11 crores in the 2018 auction.

Pandey has scored 2215 runs in 103 matches and has been the recipient of five Man of the match awards across multiple seasons so far. A part of the limited-overs setup in the national team, Pandey will be keen to dominate IPL 2018 to cement his place in the Indian playing XI.

The first Indian to have ever scored a century in the IPL, the Karnataka lad will be a core member of the Hyderabad batting line up and will lend diversity to the otherwise left-handers’ dominated team.

#1 Lokesh Rahul

KL Rahul has a very high price tag to justify

KL Rahul is undoubtedly one of the most talented batsmen of the modern era. Perceived to suit only the longest version of the sport initially, Rahul has shown tremendous adaptability to be recognized as a vital cog in the T20 setup of the national squad as well.

The right-hander has been a regular feature in India’s T20 team, even though he has been in and out of the ODI team. The Mangalore-born batsman boasts of a T20I strike rate in excess of 147 and is only of three Indians to have scored a century in all three cricket formats.

Having played for SRH and RCB previously, Rahul makes his way northwards to his new recruiters Kings XI Punjab this time around. They spent a mind-boggling sum of Rs 11 crores to attain his services. Rahul, who may double up as a wicketkeeper for the side, had a successful IPL 2016 but had to miss out on the 2017 edition due to injury.

Punjab will heavily rely on him to give them a solid start at the top of the order and lay a strong foundation with the bat to accelerate their hunt for a maiden IPL title.