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Another exciting season of the cash-rich league 2019 IPL is set to kick off on March 23. The Indian Premier League always brings surprises and, over the years, there have been many players who have come as a surprise package and performed exceedingly well in the tournament. Players like Manish Pandey, James Faulkner, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Rashid Khan have found fame with the IPL.
So here we take a look at one player from each franchise who could surprise fans this edition.
#8 Nicholas Pooran (Kings XI Punjab)
A talented wicket-keeper batsman, Nicholas Pooran is one of the future stars for West Indies cricket. The destructive left-hander has been in great form since CPL 2018. The 23-year-old performed exceedingly well in the 2018 T10 League and was the leading scorer of the tournament with 324 runs from nine matches at an excellent average of 54.00 and an unbelievable strike rate of 245.45.
He was in tremendous form in the recently-concluded Bangladesh Premier League as well. He scored 379 runs from 11 matches playing for Sylhet Sixers and was the fourth leading run-scorer of the tournament.
Nicholas Pooran will be playing for Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2019.
#7 Prayas Ray Barman (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
The 16-year-old Prayas Ray Barman is a leg-spinner from Bengal, who was surprisingly bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping sum of INR 1.5 crore for the 2019 season.
The teenager made his List A debut for Bengal in the 2018 Vijay Hazare Trophy and had a memorable match as he picked four wickets against Jammu & Kashmir. He performed well in the whole tournament and was the leading wicket-taker for his team with 11 wickets from nine matches at an average of 23.00 and economy rate of 4.45.
Paras Ray Barman will be looking forward to making the most of his opportunities in the upcoming edition of IPL.
#6 KM Asif (Chennai Super Kings)
A talented fast bowler from Kerala, KM Asif is one of the fastest bowlers in domestic cricket. He has the potential to consistently bowl over 140 kph and that makes him special.
KM Asif played just two matches for Chennai Super Kings in the 2018 edition of the league but his bowling was still impressive, picking up three wickets as well. However, his economy rate of 12.50 in the two matches was incredibly high. Overall, he did reasonably well in these two matches.
In his T20 career, the 25-year-old has played four matches and has taken eight wickets at an impressive average of 16.75 and economy rate of 9.57 with 3/25 being his best figures. The youngster could make a mark in the upcoming edition of IPL if he gets enough opportunities.
#5 Sherfane Rutherford (Delhi Capitals)
Sherfane Rutherford wouldn't be a familiar name to Indian audiences but he has been in good form in recent times. The 20-year-old is a swashbuckling left-hand batsman and a decent right-arm medium-pacer.
The dangerous Caribbean all-rounder made headlines during the Global T20 Canada tournament. He smashed 134 runs off just 66 balls with the help of 11 fours and 11 sixes. The tournament proved to be a breakthrough tournament as he did well with both bat and ball. He scored a total of 230 runs and picked 7 wickets in the tournament.
After this, he was seen playing the 2018 Caribbean Premier League. He once again showed glimpses of his talent when he smashed 45 runs off just 13 deliveries against Trinbago Knight Riders while playing for Guyana Amazon Warriors.
At the 2019 IPL auctions, he was surprisingly bought by Delhi Capitals for a hefty sum of INR 2 crore. But with the talent he possesses, the West Indian could be one of the surprising players in IPL 2019.
#4 Abhishek Sharma (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Abhishek Sharma is a destructive left-hand batsman and a decent left-arm spinner. The teenager came into the limelight for the first time when he led India U19 to the Youth Asia Cup title in 2016. He was also the part of the India U19 World Cup-winning team in 2018.
He played for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) last season and gave us a preview of his talent when he smashed 46 runs off just 19 balls in his debut match against RCB. But this IPL season, he will be playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
#3 Jason Behrendorff (Mumbai Indians)
The tall left-arm Aussie pacer, Jason Behredroff, is someone who bowls with good speed and has the potential to swing the ball both ways. His performance in the last few months have been quite good and he recently made his ODI debut for Australia.
Jason Behrendroff's T20 record is quite impressive as he has taken 67 wickets from 54 matches at an impressive average of 20.41 and a decent economy rate of 7.11 with 4/21 being his best. The 29-year-old missed the 2018 IPL because of an injury but he is set to play for Mumbai Indians in the current edition.
#2 Anrich Nortje (Kolkata Knight Riders)
An unknown name even in cricket, Anrich Nortje is talented fast bowler from South Africa who can consistently bowl over 145 kph. The speedster attracted fans' attention during the Mzansi Super League, impressing everyone with his fast and furious bowling. He only managed to play three matches in the tournament due to injury.
But his performance in those three matches was outstanding as he picked eight wickets at an astonishing average of 10.37 and economy rate of 6.91. His overall T20 numbers are also quite impressive as he has taken 19 wickets from 12 matches at an excellent average of 13.73 and economy rate of 6.47.
Impressed by his performance in the Mzansi Super League, Kolkata Knight Riders bought him at his base price during the 2019 IPL auction.
#1 Liam Livingstone (Rajasthan Royals)
A promising all-rounder from England, Liam Livingston was bought by Rajasthan Royals at the 2019 IPL auction. He bats rights-hand and bowls right-arm leg spin.
The 25-year-old has good experience in T20 cricket and is one of the more consistent performers in England's T20 Blast. So far he has played a total of 51 T20s and has scored 1,110 runs at an average of 26.40 and an impressive strike rate of 145.47. While bowling, he has taken 14 wickets from 14 innings at an excellent average of 16.78 and a decent economy rate of 7.70.
Being a useful all-rounder, Livingston could emerge as a surprise package this season.
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