7 prominent cricketers who owe part of their success to IPL

Since its inception, the IPL has been touted as a platform where talent meets opportunity. In fact, this was the original idea behind the tournament. It was supposed to be a platform where young players get a chance to play alongside experienced veterans who can share their vast knowledge.

Over the years, the IPL has done just that. The popular T20 tournament has taken in raw players and turned them into world class cricketers. In this segment, let us take a look at seven prominent cricketers who took the international arena by storm after arriving into the limelight through strong performances in the IPL.

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#7 Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine was practically an unknown commodity when he first debuted for the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012. KKR purchased the Caribbean mystery off-spinner at the auction for a bargain price.

Though he was known in the shortest format of the game prior to his IPL debut, Narine didn’t really cement himself as one of the most dangerous spinners in the game until he started puzzling batsmen in a breakthrough IPL season.

Narine rose to prominence during the 2012 season by picking 24 wickets in 15 games at a stunning average of 13.50. He was also adjudged the player of the tournament. He followed up his exploits in 2012 with another splendid performance in 2013 where he picked 22 wickets in 16 games with an average of 15.90. He played a crucial role in helping the Knight Riders emerge as a force in the tournament.

Narine is the seventh highest wicket taker in the history of IPL. Over the years, he has managed to reinvent himself as a destructive opening batsman as well. He used the IPL as a springboard to enhance his skills and contribute to West Indies' stunning triumph in the 2012 World T20.

#6 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin was part of the Chennai Super Kings squad from their inaugural season. However, he did not become a regular until the 2010 season. The off-spinner was one of the key bowlers that Dhoni relied on. He would pick wickets at crucial junctures and turn the game for his team.

In 2010, Ashwin made his debut for India in an ODI against Sri Lanka. In the subsequent home series against New Zealand, he ended up as the leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps. The off-spinner played his part in India's World Cup triumph in 2011 by producing a crucial spell in the quarter-final against Australia.

Owing to his consistent form in the limited-overs formats, Ashwin was included in India's Test squad for their series against West Indies in 2011. He instantly grabbed the opportunity by registering an all-round effort.

Over the years, Ashwin has played a critical role for India both with bat and ball to become one of the best all-rounders in world cricket. He was named ICC Cricketer of the Year and ICC Test Cricketer of the Year in 2016. He also became the third Indian cricketer to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year.

#5 Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah debuted in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians and quickly created an impact through his unorthodox bowling action. In his first season with the franchise in 2013, he only played 2 matches and picked up 3 wickets.

The next two seasons were pretty ordinary for the right-arm pacer. Bumrah's breakthrough year came in 2016 when he picked up 15 wickets in 14 matches. In 2017, he took 20 wickets in 16 games. The seamer was fast-tracked into the Indian team and is now a regular feature across all three formats.

Today, Bumrah is considered as one of the best death-overs bowlers in white-ball cricket. He is currently ranked as the number one bowler in ODIs and has also had an impressive start to his Test career as well. There’s no doubt that the IPL has attributed to much of his success over the years.

#4 Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal

Not many would have heard of Yuzvendra Chahal before his debut in the IPL. He actually made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in 2013. However, the leg-spinner went wicket-less from the only game he played.

After he was released in 2014, Chahal found himself aligned with Royal Challengers Bangalore. The leg-spinner arrived into the limelight because of his ability to perform splendidly at a batsman-friendly venue like Chinnaswamy Stadium. His best seasons came in 2015 and 2016 when he took 23 and 21 wickets respectively.

Chahal’s IPL success has extended into the international arena. He made his international debut against Zimbabwe in 2016. In the second ODI of the series, the wrist-spinner took 3 wickets for 25 runs and earned himself his first Man of the Match award.

Chahal rose rapidly to become a key part of India's bowling attack in ODIs and T20Is. He currently holds the record for best bowling figures by a leg spinner in T20Is.

#3 Faf du Plessis

Faf du Plessis

Although Faf du Plessis made his debut for South Africa before featuring in the IPL, he hadn’t really established himself back then. However, all that changed in 2012 when he had a breakout season for the Chennai Super Kings. He scored 393 runs in 13 matches at an average of 33.16.

The right-hander's international career took off after the 2012 IPL season. Faf's marathon knock at Adelaide helped South Africa save the match and gave them an opportunity to win the series.

Faf became the first South African to score a century in all three formats. He holds the record for the second highest individual score for the Proteas in ODIs (185) after Gary Kirsten (188 not out). He has often attributed his reputation of being a natural leader to the experience gained from playing under MS Dhoni for CSK.

#2 Shaun Marsh

Shaun Marsh

Shaun Marsh became a household name after he won the Orange Cap in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. He holds an impeccable IPL record with 2477 runs in 71 matches with an average of 39.95. He was purchased by Kings XI Punjab in 2008 and stayed with the franchise till 2017.

Soon after his performance in the IPL, the Australia selectors came knocking on his door. Shaun made his ODI and T20l debut for Australia in their tour of West Indies in 2008. A string of good performances in the limited overs formats earned him a maiden Test call-up in 2011. The left-hander grabbed the chance by becoming the 19th Australian batsman to score a Test century on debut.

Over the years, Marsh has found himself in and out of the Australian squad. He will always be remembered in India as one of the first breakthrough stars of the IPL.

#1 Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant debuted for the Delhi Daredevils franchise in 2016. His IPL career got off to a shaky start. His first two seasons were pretty ordinary. But his breakout season came in 2018 when he scored a mind boggling 684 runs in 14 matches with an average of 52.61 and a strike-rate of 173.60. The left-hander finished the tournament as the second highest run-scorer behind only Kane Williamson.

Pant’s eye-catching stroke-play in the IPL earned him a national call-up for India’s tour of England in 2018. Making his Test debut at Trent Bridge, he became the first Indian batsman to get off the mark with a six. At the Oval, he created history by becoming the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test century in England.