IPL 2020 auction: 3 forgotten stars of the league

#2 Paul Valthaty

Paul Valthaty after his brilliant century against Chennai Super Kings in 2011

Plucked out of nowhere by Kings XI Punjab in 2011, Paul Valthaty took IPL by storm like few have. His moment in the sun came when, in a game against Chennai Super Kings, the opener blasted 120 not out in 63 balls as KXIP chased down 189 with ease. The defending champions were stunned by the unexpected assault.

To prove that his performance against CSK was no flash in the pan, Valthaty then put in a superlative all-round display against Deccan Chargers. He claimed 4 for 29 with the ball, and then smashed 75 off 47 balls with the bat as Chargers were defeated by 8 wickets.

Valthaty finished the season with 463 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 136.98 with one hundred and two fifties. Who would have thought back then that the smashing cricketer would feature in only 7 more IPL matches, and score only a total of 36 more runs. Sadly for Valthaty, that’s exactly how things turned out. He was not picked again after playing just one match in the 2013 season.

After fading away from the limelight, he now plays quietly for Air India, his employer, away from all the glitz and glamour.