IPL 2018: 5 players who were rewarded for their performances

IPL, as it is largely believed, can make or break players and hence, their careers. With every season of the Indian Premier League that goes by, we have seen players reviving their careers after having been sidelined, or breaking into the national side for the first time. We have seen the likes of Jadeja, Ashwin, and Chahal getting a national call-up by virtue of their performance in the IPL. We have also been witness to players, like Watson and Raina, getting a recall into their respective national sides- all thanks to the IPL, and of course, their display of skills in the league.

This IPL was no different. While some players despite having a great IPL this season were unlucky to get a call-up, some others were indeed rewarded for what was a promising performance in the eyes of the selectors. In this slideshow, we will gaze through five such players who were rewarded for their IPL performances.

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Siddarth Kaul

In a squad that has Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the attack, Siddarth Kaul managed to carve a space of his own, and ended the league with 21 wickets to his name, thus becoming the joint highest wicket-taker for Sunrisers, along with Rashid Khan, and the joint second highest wicket-taker overall. He was a part of the squad in all of their matches which is a reflection of his reliability.

Kaul was definitely a standout and made more impact than Rashid in the first half of the tournament. His incisive spells led the selectors to believe in him, and when they met on May 8 to select ODI and T20I teams for UK tour, they decided that his performance was worth a call-up in both formats. The pacer did not look the same in the business end of the league and made people question his selection. He did give his side important breakthroughs in the first qualifier but, that was not enough. Come the final, his balls were again sent to tatters. We hope he will be able to recover his old form and justify his selection on the upcoming tour if and when he is inducted into the playing XI.

#4 Umesh Yadav

Umesh was RCB's leading wicket-taker.

In a team marred by deficiencies in bowling options, Umesh Yadav was one of a few sparks. He had a tremendous IPL season taking 20 wickets in 14 matches while giving away runs at under 8 per over. His was easily the best bowling stats for RCB, and the fourth best overall. His role was instrumental in giving RCB the momentum with early wickets. RCB's dismal season can be put down to the other bowlers not being able to make the most of the momentum that Yadav provided.

Unlike Siddarth Kaul, he was consistent throughout the IPL. Given his outstanding bowling in the IPL, he was always a favorite in making a comeback to the limited-overs' sides.

#3 KL Rahul

KL Rahul has been in and out of the Indian side

Before the start of the IPL season, KL Rahul's place in the limited-overs' team was in jeopardy. He was already out of the ODI squad, and his poor outings in the Nidahas Trophy meant that he could have been axed from the T20I squad as well. But as it turned out, he not only retained his place in the T20 format but was also recalled for the ODIs. This was made possible only because of his IPL performances, which were consistent throughout the league.

Although KXIP's form dipped as the league progressed that of Rahul just got better and better. He ended the league being the third highest run-scorer, after Pant and Williamson. He scored 659 runs in 14 innings at a strike-rate nearing 160. His average of 55 was the highest among those who scored above 500 runs in the league. Rahul had been held back by injuries whenever it seemed he had cemented his place in the side. We hope it won't be the case this time around, and that he makes the upcoming season memorable for himself, and for the fans.

#2 Ambati Rayudu

Rayudu celebrates after making a century against SRH.

As Dhoni himself put it about Ambati Rayudu, he is an excellent batter who is equally good at scoring against both spinners and pacers. Combine that ability with his temperament and you will be at a loss for thoughts as to why he was never a regular feature of the Indian squad. Rayudu's has good numbers to show for the ODIs except for his strike-rate, which is below 80 and sub-par. For a player who has never looked out of touch in almost all of the IPL editions, and boasts of a wide range of shots, the inability to leave a mark in international cricket seems baffling. International cricket has so far got the better of him. But, the selectors have given him another chance to turn tables in ODIs and prove to all that he is here to stay. Now that he is in the ODI squad for the UK tour he has an excellent opportunity to make a case for himself for the 2019 World Cup.

Given his IPL performances, his selection into the national squad seemed imminent. Rayudu ended the league as the fourth leading run-scorer. He accumulated 602 runs in 16 matches at an impressive strike-rate of 150. He was also one of the few players who scored a century this season. The feat came against the best bowling side of the season- the Sunrisers- in Pune, where he scored 100* off only 62 deliveries, and saw his team through yet another win.

#1 Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler turned around the fortunes for Rajasthan.

Jos Buttler is undoubtedly one of the best limited-overs batsmen currently. Considering that reputation with a forgettable first-class season with Lancashire one would have been assured of his absence from the recently concluded test series against Pakistan. But it happened otherwise, and this time too, IPL was at the core of things. Buttler's selection into the test squad was solely due to his mind-numbing acts in the Indian Premier League.

Buttler was the mainstay of Rajasthan's batting. Had it not been for him, Rajasthan would probably have ended up being the bottom ranked team in the points table. The fact that they made it to the playoffs suggests quite clearly the impact he had on Rajasthan's campaign. He ended the season with 548 runs made at a strike-rate of 155 in 13 innings. He was the sixth leading run-scorer.

Buttler has carried his form to test cricket as well. He was adjudged the man of the match for his crucial knock of 80* that helped England win the second test, and tie the series. He, in fact, has acknowledged the role of IPL in his test success as well.