5 IPL players who disappeared in the murk

When the ICC announced in 2006 that a World Cup of the shortest format of the game would be played in the following year, people thought it would be a circus and it was not real cricket under any stress of imagination. Before the start of the World Cup, world beaters India had only played a solitary T20I which gave an indication that most of the cricketing pundits and experts didn’t consider it as a serious format. But after the conclusion of the World Cup, everything changed and T20 emerged as a breeding ground for budding cricketers. India’s victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup was one of the major reasons behind IPL coming into the picture a year later. It was the first time India had won a World Cup after the 1983 triumph under Kapil Dev. With the emergence of IPL a year later, T20 cricket became a permanent fixture in cricketing calendars and IPL emerged as the greatest ever T20 tournaments over the years. Brendon McCullum set the tournament ablaze in the very first game in the history of IPL, smashing 158 of 73 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore which set the tone for the rest of the tournament. Over the years we have seen some exceptional performances in the IPL for the last 9 years. While some have performed consistently over most of the seasons, there are many players who stormed into the limelight with their gutsy performances but later faded away. Some of these players were an integral part of their teams during their short stay but people hardly remembers them now. Here he bring you 5 such cricketers who impressed one and all with their performances in IPL but later faded into oblivion 1. Swapnil Asnodkar Swapnil Asnodkar IPL. (Photo Source: Associated Press) The little man shot to fame in the inaugural Indian Premier League as the opener of the Rajasthan Royals franchise who was the eventual winners of the tournament. He has been one of the leading run scorers of Goa in the Ranji Trophy and in the 2007-08 season, he accumulated 640 runs at an average of over 71 which paved the way for his inclusion in the Rajasthan Royals outfit. Though Goa regularly featured in the Plate League his performances were given justice. His hard-hitting prowess in the middle reminded one and all of former Sri Lankan wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitharna who forged a great opening pair with Sanath Jayasuriya. In the case of Asnodkar his partner was Graeme Smith and together the duo aggregated 418 runs at an average of 59. The little man scored a magnificent 34 balls 60 in his IPL debut against Kolkata Knight Riders and proved his worth in the team. In the 7 IPL matches he played in that season, Asnodkar scored 244 runs at an average of 34. He last appeared in the IPL in 2011. Also read- 2008 IPL Champions Rajasthan Royals: Where are they now? 2. Kamran Khan Kamran Khan of Rajasthan Royals celebrates. (Photo by Pal Pillai-IPL 2010/IPL via Getty Images) The left-arm pacer hails from a very poor background and had to work very hard to continue his cricket. His father is a woodcutter and the youngster only had one set of cricket whites during his emerging days. Speaking about how he went for the trials Kamran said, “Be it Lucknow or Kanpur, I used to sleep at platforms. I used to buy a platform ticket and spend the night there … I always had monetary problems. I never dared to ask money from my brothers. I had one pair of white clothes for trials”. He impressed the Rajasthan Royals director of coaching Darren Barry and was later given an IPL contract in the 2nd edition of the tournament. He bowled with venom and dismissed two of the most destructive batsmen in the world, Brendon McCullum, and Chris Gayle. He castled Gayle with a scorcher of a delivery which moved away after pitching. He later moved to Pune Warriors India but after a year faded into oblivion. 3. Kevon Cooper Rajasthan Royals bowler Kevon Cooper. (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images) A hard-hitting batsman and great exponent of the slower deliveries, Kevon Cooper was bought by the Rajasthan Royals in 2012 and produced some exceptional performances with both bat and the ball before an ill-fated injury cut short his IPL stint with the Royals after playing only 6 games. In the 2013 season, he was the 2nd highest wicket-taker for the Royals bagging 19 wickets in 14 matches. Giving due justice to his multi-dimensional abilities, the Royals brought him back in the 2014 auction. Despite his impressive performances in domestic T20 leagues across the world, he has failed to find a spot in the national team with many hard-hitting all-rounders around. Also read- Best XI from the players who went unsold in IPL 2017 auction 4. Graeme Smith Graeme Smith scored 91 from 51 balls in what we can safely term his best IPL innings. (Photo Source: AFP) The former South African captain was bought by the Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition and was instrumental in their title triumph in 2008. He provided the ideal start with little man Swapnil Asnodkar in the top of the order which paved way for the other power-hitters to explode in the later part of the innings. He scored at a reasonable strike rate and also bowled the occasional off-breaks which gave Shane Warne the ideal balance in the team. In all Smith has appeared in 29 IPL matches and has scored 739 runs at an average of 28 and a strike rate of 110. He has struck 4 half-centuries in his IPL career but people hardly remembers his contribution which helped the Royals win the inaugural IPL title. 5. Manpreet Gony Manpreet Gony IPL. (Photo Source: AFP) Manpreet Gony became an overnight sensation when he announced his arrival with brilliant performances in the opening season of the Indian Premier League. He was the leading wicket-taker for the Chennai Super Kings and the fourth highest wicket-taker of the tournament. He bowled with venom and impressed the selectors with his raw pace and bounce he extracted from the pitch. He forced his way into the national team after his impressive performances in IPL but his international career was cut short after playing only a couple of ODI matches. In all, he played 43 IPL games bagging 37 wickets in the process. After fading into oblivion he was recently bought by the Kings XI Punjab in the recent auction which might well be a lifeline for the fast bowler at the age of 33.

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5 IPL players who disappeared in the murk

5. Manpreet Gony

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