IPL 2020: 5 under-rated players who can spring a surprise

Indian Premier League (IPL) has a knack of giving surprises with performances from the players that were not in the focus of attention. Perhaps not having the attention of the crowd ahead of the start of the season can help them in staying away from the pressure. The T20 extravaganza has seen players winning games for their teams when they were least expected to perform. The likes of Mike Hussey, Lendl Simmons, David Miller, Manish Pandey, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell McClenaghan, Imran Tahir, Siddharth Kaul, Mohit Sharma are some of the examples.

The careers are made here and many unknown players went on to become legends for their countries after delivering the goods for their franchises in the IPL. Here is a list of players who might not be making the headlines today, but can raise many eyebrows in the upcoming season.

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#5 Alex Carey

The Australian wicket-keeper batsman came into limelight through the Big Bash League 2017/18 season where he, playing for Adelaide Strikers, finished as the second-highest run-scorer with 443 runs from 11 matches. His heroics have rewarded him a place in the Australian national side in white-ball cricket, which he grabbed with both hands and cemented the spot. Alex Carey is a left-handed natural stroke-maker and does not shy away from playing big shots early in the innings. Though he is an opening batsman by nature, the southpaw bats in the lower-middle order as Australia had the openers fixed already. Delhi Capitals will be glad to have a team-man who can bat at any position as per scenario.

Also see – PSL 2020 schedule

The 28-year-old has been picked by the Delhi-based franchise for INR 2.40 crores, who will be featuring in the IPL for the first time and is likely to make a positive impression when the opportunity comes.

#4 Tom Banton

Tom Banton will try and make his mark in the IPL

England has been consistently generating fearless top-order batsmen from the past few years and Tom Banton is one of those. The modern-day wicket-keeper batsman drew everybody's attention in the last season of T20 Blast, the domestic T20 tournament in England, where he finished as the second-highest run-getter with 549 runs from 13 matches at a strike-rate of over 160. He scored a match-winning century and 4 fifties in his journey with Somerset.

The 21-year-old cricketer started getting contracts in other T20 leagues with signings by Brisbane Heat in BBL and Qalandars in PSL. Bagged by Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL for INR 1 crores, Banton is set to make his debut in the biggest T20 league in the world and it will be interesting to see how KKR slot him in with packed overseas spots with presence by Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, and Eoin Morgan.

#3 Chris Green

Can Green steal the limelight in IPL 2020?

Chris Green is an Australian off-spinner who can also bat when needed. In a short span, he has already gained a fair bit of T20 experience by playing all around the globe. He represents Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League. The 26-year-old finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the Global Canada T20 tournament.

Green is known to slow down the flow of runs with his accurate spin bowling. He is not a big turner of the ball, but a slightly peculiar action and variations in pace make it difficult for the batsman to slog him out of the park. In a career of 81 matches, Green has picked 65 wickets at a miserly economy of 6.76. In addition to that, he has also scored 506 runs and contributed lower down the order on numerous occasions for his side. Though Kolkata Knight Riders looks well settled with their overseas picks, it is good to have a backup for an injury-prone Sunil Narine.

#2 Chris Jordan

Chris Jordan represented England in their recent tour to New Zealand

The modern-day T20 specialist, Chris Jordan has a vast experience in the shortest format of the game. The Barbados-born cricketer has played 172 matches beginning from over a decade ago and has scalped 186 wickets. The 31-year-old can also utilise his power to clear the fence, batting lower down the order.

The English bowler has been in part of IPL since 2016, having represented Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the past, but has managed to play only 11 matches. Though he got to play 9 games for RCB in a season, a well-settled SRH attack with overseas batting power kept him in the sidelines. Kings XI Punjab played an impressive move to grab him for INR 3 crores and we might just see him playing ahead of Sheldon Cottrell for the value he brings with the bat and his electric fielding.

#1 James Neesham

James Neesham will be a part of IPL after 6 years

The Kiwi all-rounder has hit a purple patch off late and played a vital role in New Zealand's journey to the World Cup final. The 29-year-old has over 1568 runs and 106 wickets in the shortest format of the game and it came as a shock when he went unsold in last year's auction. James Neesham was bagged by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at a throwaway price of INR 50 lakhs. It was astonishing to see one of the best T20 all-rounders in recent times going at his base price, considering his current form at the highest level. The Punjab-based franchise will be pleased to have him in the side who can join in anytime with an injury-prone Chris Gayle in the mix. The value that he brings to the KXIP set up is more than what his contract amount suggests.