Best uncapped XI of IPL 2015

Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav

While Suryakumar Yadav’s numbers this IPL season might not have been all that impressive, scoring 157 runs at an average below 20, you have to take cognizance of the fact that he often found himself coming lower down the order where he had to get going right from the outset.

Yet, he had some handy cameos in the first half of the season in particular and enhanced his reputation as being one of the cleanest hitters of the cricket ball in the Indian domestic circuit. If he can bring greater consistency into his game, an India T20 call-up might not be that far away.

Hardik Pandya

A largely unknown commodity coming into this IPL, Hardik Pandya’s performances over the course of this IPL season have been fairly impressive. Although he was initially in the side for his bowling capabilities, it’s with the bat in hand that he has made some significant contributions and thereby earned a regular place in the line-up.

A case in point is when in a must-win game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to qualify for the playoffs, Pandya smashed a brilliant 61 off a mere 31 deliveries against the likes of Morne Morkel and Sunil Narine to help them narrowly get over the line.

Deepak Hooda

Deepak Hooda was hugely impressive for RR

Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Deepak Hooda should definitely be in contention for the Young Player of the Tournament award, having scored his runs at an outstanding strike rate of 158.94 this season. His innings of 30 from 15 balls and 54 from 25 balls in the early part of the season, in particular, gave a fleeting glimpse of his extraordinary hitting ability and he should only get better in the years to come.

While he would be disappointed with the fact that he faded away as the tournament wore on, one would do well to remember that he is only 20 years old and was playing in his biggest tournament till date.

Pawan Negi

Left-arm spinner Pawan Negi has given Chennai Super Kings the ideal balance with his all-round capabilities this season. He might not be a big turner of the ball, but he is fairly accurate with his line and length and has complemented the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja well while also coming up with the odd cameo with the bat in hand.

With the Delhi-born Negi being only 22 years old, he should only improve as he gets more playing time at the top level under his belt.

Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel has been a member of RCB since 2012, but it was only this year that he showed his real worth to the side. A bit-part player in previous seasons, he took 17 wickets from 15 games at an economy rate of 7.48 and came up with crucial breakthroughs at several stages in their campaign.

While having an in-form Mitchell Starc alongside would’ve undoubtedly aided him, he has certainly made massive improvements as a bowler and made himself into a regular for the franchise.