IPL 2018: Five players who are dark horses for Delhi Daredevils this season

Cricket can be a very unforgiving sport at times despite the talent quotient and hard-work factor involved. Players sacrifice a lot and work immensely hard to prove their capabilities and reach the top of the mountain but like any other sport, there are always some players who carry an underrated tag to their names. They have all the talent in the world but lack opportunities. Sometimes, they get a window of opportunity but they fail to capitalize.

Cricket is a tough game to all intents and purpose as even the slightest of things can affect your career. Every team consists of some key players of big-name values who always make the headlines and hence there are always some unsung heroes in every team. These underdogs are hard-working, talented, and hungry to prove their mettle to make it big in the world of cricket.

This article is about five such cricketers who are underrated and might turn out to be the dark horses for the Delhi Daredevils dugout. Let's take a look:

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#1 Shahbaz Nadeem

Nadeem pumped up after picking up a wicket.

The left-arm spinner has been one of the most underrated stars of the Indian domestic circuit. He is one of the prime factors in putting Jharkhand domestic cricket on the map with the likes of MS Dhoni, Saurabh Tiwary, and Ishank Jaggi. Nadeem is only the second man in Ranji history to secure 50 wickets in a season twice, having scalping 51 dismissals in the 2015-16 season and 56 in the 2016-17 season. He is an effective all-rounder with some good strokes off the bat and exquisite fielding quotient.

He has secured over 300 wickets in the first class cricket so far. For someone who has been around the domestic cricket since the age of 15 and seen his peers transition into the big leagues, he is focused to deliver some impressive performances for the Daredevils when given a chance to help build a base for him to make it to the International cricket.

#2 Sandeep Lamichhane

Sandeep with his mentor Michael Clarke

Mentored by the former Australian skipper Michael Clarke, the 17-year old leg-spinner is the first Nepali player to be hired by an Indian Premier League franchise. Delhi Daredevils obtained his services for Rs 20 lakh and the young man from Nepal is looking forward to showcasing his skills on the ground.

Lamichhane played an important role in Nepal's successful campaign to receive ODI status from the ICC during the 2019 World Cup Qualifier match in Zimbabwe. He was the leading wicket-taker for Nepal in the ICC U-19 World Cup, 2006 by scalping 14 wickets in 6 matches.

The young talent is indeed promising and it will be interesting to see he contributes to DD in his first IPL season.

#3 Avesh khan

Avesh Khan in action during ICC U-19 World Cup, 2016.

The 21-year-old pacer is well-known for his bowling skills in the Indian domestic cricket. He has a lot of variations in his repertoire and can adapt well to distinct conditions. He was one of the three Indian net bowlers for the recent Test series in South Africa. He was the highest wicket-taker for India U-19 squad in the ICC U-19 World Cup, 2016 where he led the pace attack and picked up 12 wickets. He can bowl at over 140kmph with great precision and has a lot of tricks up his sleeve including off-cutters, leg-cutters, and multiple variations of slower deliveries which are quite useful in T20 matches.

He played one match for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL last season and made a good impression on the RCB captain Virat Kohli. He has a great opportunity with the Delhi Daredevils for this season and is looking forward to capitalizing it to the best of his abilities.

#4 Naman Ojha

Naman Ojha celebrating after scoring a double century in Brisbane while playing for India A

The right-handed wicket-keeper batsman is a very experienced first-class cricketer. He has scored nearly 8000 runs in 113 first-class matches which include 19 centuries and 43 half-centuries. He has led Madhya Pradesh in Ranji Trophy and India A team on several occasions. He has proved his wicket-keeping skills in domestic as well as IPL career so far. He has opened the innings for Rajasthan Royals and played some crucial innings for Sunrisers Hyderabad as well as Delhi Daredevils in previous seasons.

Ojha has been overlooked a lot in his career. He has played just 1 ODI, 1 Test and 2 T20 matches in the senior side. He made his debut for India when he was included as a back-up wicket-keeper during India's tour of Zimbabwe in 2010 after the selectors decided to rest several senior players including MS Dhoni. His Test debut was in August 2015 after wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha had to sit out due to an injury.

Ojha has worked very hard to prove his capability throughout his 18-year career so far. He realizes that this IPL season is a wonderful opportunity for him to prove that he belongs to the international cricket.

#5 Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar played for SRH last year.

The form he is in lately doesn't justify what this lad from Tamil Nadu is capable of, thus making him one of the underdogs this IPL season. The all-rounder has been one of the most consistent performers in the domestic circuit for the last few years which earned him a spot in the recently concluded Nidahas Trophy.The only time he batted in the aforementioned series, he struggled a lot and scored 17 off 19 deliveries. He got a chance with the bowl in all matches but failed to capitalize. His T20 records are also not so impressive as of yet.

Last IPL season, he scored an unbeaten 63 against the Gujarat Lions and bowled only once. Considering he hasn't been in good form, there aren't a lot of expectations from him. In a team like DD that comprises of some big stars, Vijay's name is overlooked which makes him the dark horse.