Aakash Chopra picks five uncapped players who impressed him the most in IPL 2020

As the league stage of the ongoing 13th edition of the Indian Premier League came to an end with four franchises namely Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Capitals (DC), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) qualifying for the second stage, many cricket analysts and pundits are coming up with a deep analysis on which player was a hit or flop in the tournament.

The new addition to this list is cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra who opined on the 5 uncapped Indian players who impressed the who’s who of the cricket fraternity with their spectacular performances with the bat or ball. On November 5, the right-hander uploaded a video on his official Twitter handle revealing the names of the 5 debutants whom he loved watching in IPL 2020.

The first name on the list was of the Royal Challengers Bangalore Devdutt Padikkal. The opening batsman is having a dream run in his debut IPL season with 472 runs in 14 games at an average of 33.7 and strike rate of 126.5. Padikkal also smashed five half-centuries to ensure that he makes a mark with the willow despite being in the team that boasts of having modern-day greats like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

Aakash Chopra names Kamlesh Nagarkoti as his 5th choice

The second place was occupied by Chennai Super Kings Ruturaj Gaikwad who had an underwhelming start in IPL 2020 as he could manage only 5 runs in the first three games, including two ducks. Thus, the batter had to warm the bench for a major part of the tournament but he got a chance in the last three games and made most of the opportunities provided to him. In his last three games, the 23-year-old was phenomenal with the willow as smashed 65*, 72, and 62*. Gaikwad ended his debut IPL season with 204 in 6 fixtures at a strike rate of 120.6.

The spinner Ravi Bishnoi also featured in this coveted list by Aakash Chopra. Bishnoi has been a revelation for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL 2020 as the bowler stunned everybody with his consistency with the ball and wicket-taking abilities. In his debut IPL season, Ravi picked up 12 wickets in 14 games while maintaining an economy of 7.37, 3/29 being his best spell of the league.

Chopra also hailed Rajasthan Royals pacer Kartik Tyagi for his variations in the form of yorkers, wide yorkers, bouncers and slower-ones. Tyagi had a decent run in the T20 Championship with 9 scalps to his name in 10 fixtures at an economy of 9.61.

Further, the Indian veteran picked Kolkata Knight Riders Kamlesh Nagarkoti as the player who has impressed him the most in IPL 2020. Aakash termed Kamlesh as a complete package who bowls consistently with a speed of 140 kmph+, is a gun-fielder, and can also contribute with the willow. The Barmer-born managed to pick just 5 wickets in 10 games at an economy of 8.88.