IPL 2022: 3 overseas players who are ignored by national teams but have stolen the show in the tournament

IPL 2022 got underway on March 26 with a battle between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, according to the IPL 2022 schedule. With the addition of two new franchises this year, more players have had a chance to showcase their talents on the grand stage.

Along with Indian players, even overseas stars have used the platform provided by the IPL to catapult themselves to the next level. Many regular members of international teams have done well in the IPL over the years, but this season, fans have witnessed some great performances from overseas stars who are usually ignored by their national teams.

On that note, we will look at three such foreign players who do not regularly get a place in their national squad but have dominated IPL 2022.

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#1 Faf du Plessis

Faf du Plessis is the third highest run-getter in IPL 2022 at the moment (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Former South African captain Faf du Plessis is leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in IPL 2022. Faf has been one of the highest run-getters in the league over the years. He finished No. 2 on the batters' leaderboard last year while playing for Chennai Super Kings and is currently third in the race to the IPL Orange Cap.

Speaking of his numbers in IPL 2022, Du Plessis has scored 122 runs in three matches at an average of 40.66. His strike rate is 150.61, while he has smashed nine fours and seven sixes in three innings.

Despite his excellent performances in the IPL, Du Plessis has not received any opportunities to play white-ball cricket for South Africa since December 2020. It will be interesting to see if the selectors give him one more chance to play for the Proteas again.

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#2 Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer was part of the West Indies squad that participated in the ICC T20 World Cup last year in the UAE, but has not played a single T20I match since then. Reports have claimed that his fitness standards have kept him out of the squad.

While West Indies have ignored Hetmyer, the left-handed batter has done a stellar job for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022. He has scored 109 runs in three innings at an average of 54.50 while his strike rate in this year's tournament has been 187.93.

For the latest IPL point table, click here.

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#3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa

Another left-handed overseas batter who has been dropped from the national squad owing to fitness is Bhanuka Rajapaksa. The Sri Lankan star has been a top performer for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL this year, with 83 runs to his name.

Playing his debut IPL season, Rajapaksa has shown no nerves at all as he has batted at a strike rate of 230.55. The PBKS wicket-keeper batter has hit five fours and eight sixes in three innings so far.

Because of his excellent performances, the Punjab Kings kept Jonny Bairstow out of their playing XI for their last match against the Chennai Super Kings.