IPL 2019: The Dark Horses in each team

If we take a look at the history of IPL, we see a trend that a new player emerges to take his side all way to the winning lane. Last IPL it was a certain Ambati Rayudu who literally came out of nowhere to make CSK which was on a comeback trail and help them clinch a record 3rd title in the process.

The IPL is a place where a new superstar emerges on the block irrespective of Indian or an International. Players like Yusuf Pathan, Jadeja, Axar Patel and many more can attribute their success to the IPL. International stars like Pollard, Warner, Bravo are some of the overseas stars who are a household name in the world of cricket.

Every team has some underrated performers in their ranks and a few good performances from them on the biggest Twenty 20 stage can change people's perception.

It will be no different this time around as there could be some individuals who may not be a big name in their side but could end up as a standout and take IPL 2019 by storm.

---

#8 Delhi Capitals- Sandeep Lamichhane

Sandeep Lamichhane

The first ever player from Nepal to play in the IPL represented the Delhi based franchise last season and was retained ahead of this year's auction. That alone shows his value to the team.

He is currently playing in the Big bash league where he represents Melbourne Stars. Just in his maiden season, he managed to grab eyeballs of many including the team's skipper Glenn Maxwell who has heaped praise on this 18-year-old youngster from Nepal. Even one of the best spinner going around in the world of cricket Rashid Khan has credited his bowling.

Even though he could play only a few matches for the Delhi Capitals last season, he showed immense potential and impressed each and everyone with his leg breaks.

He can surely be darkhorse to be watched out in the IPL 2019.

#7 Royal Challengers Bangalore- Shivam Dubey

Shivam Dubey has been in the limelight from the moment he got sold to the Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping 5 crores in the IPL 2019 auction that took place recently.

The 25-year-old all-rounder from Mumbai is an upcoming player with a great potential to succeed at the bigger stage. He can be a great utility player for the Royal Challengers from Bangalore.

Dubey's performance this season has been the only silver lining for the Mumbai side, who otherwise have had a pretty disappointing campaign. The left-handed batsman has scored 489 runs in five games with two centuries and three fifties at an average of just under 70. He has been very impressed everyone with the ball too, taking 17 wickets with a best of 7/53 against Karnataka.

He can create an impact for the RCB like the way Hardik Pandya did for the Mumbai Indians. Let us hope he is bogged down by the pressure of expectations.

#6 Kings XI Punjab- Nicholas Pooran

Nicholas Pooran

Punjab was one of the franchises which made a lot of buys in this auction. The reason being was they let go many of the players. They also bought several fresh faces to the IPL, one of them was Nicholas Pooran adding a calypso flavour to their squad.

Nicholas Pooran is a hard-hitting top-order batsman with good wicket keeping skills. He has the ability to provide good starts by utilizing power play to a great effect. He can form a solid opening partnership with KL Rahul who was the lone warrior for Punjab with the bat last season.

This also allows Rahul to be relieved of his wicketkeeping duties and is an able replacement for someone like the "Universal Boss" Chris Gayle. He is a great addition to the batting line up and can be darkhorse for their team's success in the IPL 2019.

#5 Kolkata Knight Riders- Kamalesh Nagarkoti

Kamalesh Nagarkoti

Kamlesh Nagarkoti was the star of India's success in the 2018 Under-19 world cup and quickly became one of the sought out players in the 2018 IPL auctions along with Prithvi Shaw, Shivam Mavi, and Shubman Gill.

Nagarkoti was eventually picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2018 auctions for a huge sum of ₹3.2 crores but could not feature him any of matches as he was ruled out of the tournament with a leg injury. But he was retained ahead of this year's auction taking note of his value.

Kamalesh is one among the new age Indian pacers who bowl at a quick pace. He troubled the batsman the U-19 world cup with his raw pace and a good line. Add to that he is also good with the bat and can come handy down the order for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

#4 Sun Risers Hyderabad- Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar has previously played for the Sun Risers Hyderabad in the past but he has grown a lot as a player. The Tamil Nadu lad has been in the form of his life with the bat as evident from the "A" tours and local domestic tournaments where his performances have been good.

Vijay Shankar managed to do well in the limited opportunities he got with the Delhi Daredevils last season but was one of the players traded to the SRH for Shikhar Dhawan. He has been in the fringes of representing the national team and a good season with the SRH for the Chennai boy will take him a long way.

Vijay is one of the Indian allrounders that is available with the SRH for this season along with Deepak Hooda and old warehouse Yusuf Pathan and could be darkhorse for the team's success in the IPL 2018.

#3 Rajasthan Royals- Shreyas Gopal

Shreyas Gopal

The Indian Premier League over the years has become a league of the leg spinners. Shreyas Gopal is one such player who has shown a lot of promise in the IPL but has not delivered as much as expected out of him so far. He is a genuine all-rounder in the domestic circuit and has had a lot of success with both bat and ball.

Shreyas Gopal has been a part of the IPL from 2014 having represented the Mumbai Indians and now playing for the Rajasthan Royals. The stadium in Jaipur largely favors the spinners and given the success the likes of Praveen Tambe has had, Gopal can replicate the same if given more opportunities by the team management in the upcoming season.

Primarily having started his career as a middle-order batsman and then shifted his concentration to be a spin-bowling all-rounder, he has come a long way. This could be a season which propels him to be a contender for a national call-up.

#2 Mumbai Indians- Mayank Markande

Mayank Markande

Mayank Markande was a surprise success at the early part of the last season's IPL but couldn't same at the latter part of the tournament and the Mumbai Indians failed to reach the playoffs. He was seen as a great talent in the making and was regularly chipping in with wickets at the powerplays.

The fact that MI has not included any more specialist spinners other than lesser-known players like Rahul Chahar and Anukul Roy(U-19 world cup player) to their squad means that the team management has a lot of confidence on this youngster.

Mayank Markande should be a certain starter for the Mumbai Indians when the team takes the field for the first match in the 2019 IPL edition. He can be an integral part of the MI franchise and is a player who has a great potential to be an important member who can help them claim another IPL title.

#1 Chennai Super Kings- Mitchell Santner

Mitchell Santner

Mitchell Santner has all the attributes to be a great T20 bowler. He is ideally suited for bowling in conditions which are slow and tacky. The Chennai pitch at the peak of the summer assists the spinners. With Dwayne Bravo, not the same T20 bowler as we have seen before, Mitchell Santner can play a huge part in the Chennai Super King's title defense.

Mitchell Santner was picked in the last years' auction but couldn't get a game because of his unfortunate knee injury that surfaced and CSK had to replace him with David Willey for the entire tournament.

But this time around he is fit and that will be a huge boost for the CSK. The coach Fleming will have great faith in the all-rounder and will be an overseas player to watch out for this season. He could be a darkhorse as CSK produces one gem after another and this time could be no different.