IPL 2019 : 3 Underrated players to watch out for

The 12th edition of Indian Premier League will commence on 23rd March. One of the best T20 league in the world, IPL has always been a great platform for players to showcase their talent. There have been many players like David Miller, James Faulkner, Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Krunal Pandya etc. who have shot to fame after performing well in IPL. Some of these players also got to play international cricket because of their performance in IPL.

Contrary to this, there has also been many cricketers who never got their due credit despite performing well consistently. These players have been a silent performer for their franchises and are unsung heroes of the Indian Premier League.

So here, we will take a look at three underrated or underappreciated players to watch out for in the upcoming season of IPL.

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#3 Mitchell McClenaghan

The left-arm Kiwi quick, Mitchell McClenaghan is a specialist T20 bowler who plays in various T20 leagues all around the globe. The New Zealand bowler plays for Mumbai Indians in IPL and has been a consistent performer for his team in last four seasons of the tournament. But he never got the praise he deserves despite performing well consistently. He played a crucial role in Mumbai Indians winning the IPL title in 2015 and 2017 as he picked 18 and 19 wickets in the respective seasons.

So far, the 32-year-old has played a total of 51 matches in IPL for Mumbai Indians and has picked 68 wickets at an average of 24.43 and economy rate of 8.55 with 4/21 being his best figures.

Mitchell McClenaghan will be looking forward to perform well in the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League. He will be key bowler for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2019. It will be interesting to see how Mitchell McClenaghan will perform in IPL 2019.

#2 Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane has been a consistent performer in IPL since 2012

The elegant right-hand batsman, Ajinkya Rahane is one of the most underrated players in the history of IPL. He has been a consistent performer for his franchises since IPL 2012 but never got the limelight he deserves.

So far, the 30-year-old has made 126 appearances in IPL and has scored 3427 runs at an good average of 32.95 and a decent strike rate of 120.33 from 119 innings while batting. Meanwhile, he has scored 26 fifties and a lone hundred. An Unbeaten 103 is his highest score in the tournament which came against Royal Challengers Bangalore during IPL 2012. Rahane has crossed the 300-run mark in each season since 2012. Meanwhile, he has crossed the 500-run mark twice for Rajasthan Royals.

Rahane underperformed by his standards in the last IPL season as he crossed the 50-run mark in just one inning. So he will be very desperate to perform for Rajasthan Royals in the 12th edition of IPL.

#1 Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep Sharma is one of the most underrated players in IPL history

A talented right-arm medium pacer, Sandeep Sharma is someone who has the ability to swing the ball both ways. He had been a consistent performer in Indian Premier League since his debut but never got the appreciation he deserves. Over the years, he has a been a silent performer for his franchises.

Because of his impressive IPL performance, Sandeep got the opportunity to play for the Indian team but could not shine at the international stage in limited opportunities.

So far, the 25-year-old has played a total of 68 matches in IPL and has picked 83 wickets at an impressive average of 23.13 and economy rate of 7.74 with 4/20 being his best figures. Sandeep has been exceptional with the new ball throughout his IPL career.

Sandeep will be playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the upcoming edition of IPL. He will surely want to make the most of his opportunities at SRH in IPL 2019.