IPL 2019: 3 Unknown pacers who could surprise the league

#1. Hardus Viljoen

Hardus Viljoen

Hardus Viljoen is a brilliant right-arm pacer from South Africa. He has played just 1 Test for the Proteas till date. Viljoen had a dream start to his Test career as he got the wicket of English legend Alastair Cook off his very first ball in international cricket.

In December 2016, following the footsteps of the likes of Colin Ingram, Alviro Peterson and Richard Levi, Viljoen left the South African cricket and signed a three year Kolpak deal with Derbyshire.

The right arm pacer is someone who believes in hitting the deck hard and does not rely on the swing. He has the ability to consistently bowl on a good pace and has many variations which make him a great fast-bowler. Taking his abilities into consideration, he could have been an excellent bowler for South Africa if he would not have signed the Kolpak deal.

The 30-year-old has been in great form of late. He was the highest wicket-taker in the T10 League 2018-19 as he took 18 wickets from just 18 overs in the tournament at an astonishing average and economy rate of 7.77. Considering the T10 format, these numbers are quite amazing.

As far as his T20 stats are concerned, he has taken 103 wickets from 88 innings at an average of 24.57 and an economy rate of 7.82 with 5/16 being his best figures.

He was roped in by Kings XI Punjab for INR 75 lakh during the auction. He possesses all the traits of being a good T20 bowler and could enthral the spectators in IPL 2019 if he gets enough opportunities.