5 players who have won the IPL trophy in least appearances

2) Niraj Patel – 9 games

The inaugural season of IPL was full of awe-inspiring moments. From Brendon McCullum smoking a century in the first game of the tournament to Lakshmipathy Balaji scaling a hat-trick, the league saw many stars hog the limelight. But in between all those individual brilliance, it was an underdog story, Rajasthan’s championship run that turned out to be the biggest highlight of the season.

Shane Warne’s Royals did the unthinkable of beating the other seven star-packed teams. And it is because their skipper and team management utilized their resources wisely. They placed their bets on the Indian domestic talents like Swapnil Asnodkar, Siddharth Trivedi, and Niraj Patel. In particular, the last name might not strike a chord, but he also contributed to Rajasthan’s winning campaign in a small way.

The Gujarat cricketer played five games for the Royals in that season. He scored 103 runs, including a half-century against Kings XI Punjab. Notably, Niraj also played in the maiden IPL final and became part of the history. Thereafter, in the following season, he played four more games before eventually getting dropped from the playing XI. In all, Patel’s short run of 9 games in the league included a title win which is a record of its kind.