5 lesser known players discovered by Rajasthan Royals

“Wait what? Who? Someone Google that name.” That is a line often heard when the Rajasthan Royals trot out their lineups. It is one thing to lay your bets on a proven commodity. It takes deep pockets and strength of conviction to put most of your eggs (in this case your money) in one basket (in this case a star player, who you hope won't make you look like a basket case).Amongst all the big names going for massive amounts, Rajasthan Royals have built a reputation for finding gems out of nowhere. These unknown players present a low risk-high reward decision. Back the right horse and you can laud yourself as a Billy Beane (the man behind the moneyball concept in Baseball). Back the wrong horse and you hope that no one notices the unknown name on your roster, whom you can pass on as a work in progress.They’ve done this so often that they are even accused of being cheap by going for unproven players over more expensive players, while ignoring the fact that those gambles have paid off quite often for the Royals. It helps to have a man like Rahul Dravid in your side. Decisions which may be questioned when made by lesser mortals, draw no ripple in the sea of calmness inspired by Dravid.All these players have the Royals to thank for giving them their first big break on strength of which they attained future laurels. Every IPL brings with it an anticipation of which new face will the Royals unearth this year. One of the bright spots of the IPL was intended to be that it would give our players a platform to show their skills which otherwise may have been languished. The Royals fulfill that promise whole heartedly.Here is a look at 5 unknown players that have been discovered by Rajasthan Royals:

#1 Pravin Tambe

Pravin Tambe is the cricketing equivalent of Vince Papale, whose role was played by Mark Wahlberg in the Hollywood adaptation in the movie, Invincible. Wahlberg plays a 30-year-old teacher who gets a lucky break and becomes the oldest rookie in NFL history to have never played American football in college by playing for Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL. I hope Bollywood is taking notes. Pravin Tambe came out of obscurity, having never even played for his city, and he was selected by the Rajasthan Royals and made his IPL debut in 2013 at the tender age of 41.

He even worked occasionally as the liaison manager for IPL franchises visiting Mumbai. Pravin announced his arrival on the big stage with a bang, taking a hat-trick in two legal balls against KKR who seemed poised to march to victory until Pravin came along. He also finished with the most number of wickets in the Champions League in 2013. His story is undoubtedly among the top feel-good stories of the IPL and taking a chance on a 41-year-old player without a distinguished career just shows the tenacity of the Rajasthan Royals in picking diamonds out of the trough. Equal credit goes to Pravin for keeping his skills sharp regardless of his age.

"There is something about the Rajasthan Royals that makes me want to perform for them. This franchise gave me a chance to showcase my skills at a time when I hadn't even played a single first-class game," said Pravin. It was Rahul Dravid's keen eye and backing which enabled Pravin to make his debut. His work has surely paid off as the Royals used the Right to Match card to retain him in 2014.

A man who has never played the sport at a high level comes out of nowhere to make the winning play at a age when players are deemed to have been retired. Sounds familiar? Pravin Tambe's has given us our very own real life Invincible story. There Mark Wahlberg plays a thirty year old teacher whose life isn't headed for greatness, but through a lucky break he gets to try out for the Philadelphia Eagles, the NFL team, and he becomes the oldest rookie in NFL history to have never played football in college. This is based on the true story of Vince Papan.

#2 Kamran Khan

If Pravin Tambe was on one end of the age spectrum, Kamran Khan is on the younger side of it having been signed by the Royals at the ripe age of 18. Kamran Khan was the son of a woodcutter and no stranger to poverty and adversity, used to sleeping on platforms when traveling for cricket trials. Those times ended when he was signed with a Rs. 12 lakh contract with the Royals in 2009.

“Even until few days ago, nobody knew me. I used to play at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai and just hoped to keep on doing the hard work. I'd gone for trials to every part of UP but without success,” said Kamran when he was signed by the Royals. His discovery is credit to Darren Berry, the director of coaching of the Royals.

Kamran's coach, Naushan Khan revealed, “We entered him into the Mumbai Police squad for a Twenty20 tournament at the DY Patil Stadium recently, and he impressed plenty there. Darren Berry happened to be there and he was impressed with Kamran.”

Kamran's story does not have a fairytale ending yet. One could say that it is still being written, even though it has taken a downward turn. After the on-field umpires reported him for suspect action in 2009 during a match vs Chennai Super Kings. 2011 was the last year he played in the IPL. He took 12 wickets in 11 matches in T20 matches. He has since worked on his bowling action while maintaining a day job at his brother's farm. In 2013, he made his first-class debut for Colts Cricket Club and at the age of 24 he is looking to work his way up.

#3 Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson is yet another gem unearthed by Rahul Dravid. Raghu Iyer, Rajasthan Royals chief executive, is fond of narrating this story, “Two deliveries, that's all it took Sanju Samson to impress Rahul Dravid at the trials last season. And then, he told me: 'Raghu, this kid is special. Sign him'. I did, and look where Sanju is today.”

While Sanju was first retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012, he didn't get to play in any matches. By 2012, he had represented India in the Under 19 Asia Cup Tournament held in Malaysia.

But, it was in the IPL while playing for the Rajasthan Royals that Sanju made his mark. In his IPL debut against Kings XI Punjab, he was responsible for three wickets and scored 27 runs off 23 balls to help the Royals win. In his second match, he scored 63 off 41 balls to guide the Royals to a win over Royal Challengers Bangalore and he was awarded Man of the Match award. He ended up winning the Best Young Player award in the IPL in 2013.

#4 Ravindra Jadeja

Sir Ravindra Jadeja hasn't been knighted to the best of our belief. But he did earn himself some choice monikers in IPL 2008 when he was selected by the Rajasthan Royals. Shane Warne called him a “Rockstar and a Superstar in the making”. He scored 135 runs from 14 matches at a strike rate of 131.06, helping the Royals win the IPL. In the 2009 IPL, he scored 295 runs at a run rate of 110.90 and conceded fewer than 6.50 runs per over. A stellar performance all around.

In the 2012 IPL auction, Jadeja was the most expensive player of the auction, going for approximately Rs. 9.8 crores to the Chennai Super Kings. He has been an integral part of the Indian team, and his coming to the spotlight with the Royals helped him build the foundation for his legacy.

#5 Deepak Hooda

Yet another young sapling plucked fresh from the bud, Deepak played for the Indian Under-19 team at the 2014 ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup, and was handed a IPL contract by the Rajasthan Royals in February 2014. In his second match for the Royals, he scored 54 runs off 25 balls against the Delhi Daredevils and bowled 0 for 20 in four overs en route to becoming the Man of the Match. The match seemed to be slipping from the grasp of the Royals when Deepak strode to the crease and flipped the script.

“Rajasthan Royals have played a part in it. They trusted me and I am just happy to repay their trust. Grateful to God that he helped me all along. Rahul Dravid always tells me that take the game to the end, believe in your ability and you will do it.” said Deepak.