IPL: 10 forgotten players

The inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) took place in the year 2008. 15 editions of the IPL have been played thus far and the T20 extravaganza has witnessed the top-drawer players from around the world take the stage and battle it out for the crown. Also, it has been a breeding ground for future stars. Many players have entered the marquee event and have left the cricket fraternity in awe of their performances. The memories of these T20 stars and their on-field exploits are etched in the heart of the fans. However, there are certain cricketers who showed a lot of promise but failed to make it big in the T20 carnival. Thus, fans might not remember them stepping into the IPL arena. Here are 10 forgotten players of the IPL: 10. Swapnil Asnodkar Swapnil Asnodkar was a bankable name in the Indian domestic circuit. He featured in 88 First-class matches and amassed 5883 runs at an average of 40.02. Talking about the List-A format, the Porvorim-born scored 2858 runs in 85 matches at an average of 36.17. Asnodkar was magnificent in the first season of the lucrative T20 tournament. He took the attack to the opposition right from the get-go and provided Rajasthan Royals with brisk starts. The former Goa cricketer featured in nine matches and amassed 311 runs at a strike rate of 133.47. His exploits with the bat were instrumental in Rajasthan clinching the IPL title. However, post IPL 2008, Asnodkar was not able to shine in the marquee event. He featured in eight games in the second edition and could only score 98 runs. Due to his poor showings, Asnodkar was not given consistent runs with the bat in the following seasons and was eventually dropped from the squad. He last featured in the marquee tournament in 2011. 9. Paul Valthaty Paul Valthaty was one of the flamboyant batters in Mumbai’s cricketing circles. He created a lot of buzz with his exploits in the fourth edition of the cash-rich league. Representing Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), the right-handed batter played a fearless brand of cricket and took top-quality bowling attacks to the cleaners. Valthaty featured in 14 matches in the season and notched up 463 runs at a strike rate of 136.98, which includes a century and two half-centuries. Also, he was handy with his medium-pace and bagged seven wickets in those outings. However, Valthaty was not able to replicate the same in the seasons to follow. The former Mumbai batter played seven games across the next two IPL editions and could only score 36 runs. Witnessing his dismal showing, Punjab decided against retaining him post the 2013 season. Unfortunately, it was the end of the road for Paul in the lucrative T20 tournament. 8. Shreevats Goswami Shreevats Goswami has proven his mettle in the Indian domestic circuit time and again. He has featured in 97 List-A matches and racked up 3371 runs at an average of 37.45. Coming to the shortest format, the southpaw has scored 2437 runs in 111 matches at a strike rate of 115.55. Goswami was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the inaugural season. He showed glimpses of brilliance with the bat and scored 82 runs in four matches. Also, the Kolkata-born impressed everyone with his nifty glovework. Courtesy of his exploits on the cricket field, he was handed the ‘Emerging Player of the season’ award, which was handed to the best Under-19 talent back then. However, Goswami was not able to build on to the performance in the following IPL editions. The wicketkeeper-batter has played 31 games in the T20 extravaganza and managed to score only 293 runs at a strike rate of 99.32, which includes a lone half-century that he struck in the inaugural season. 7. Manvinder Bisla Manvinder Bisla was one of the dependable wicketkeeper-batters in the Indian domestic circuit. He featured in 49 first-class matches and notched up 2207 runs at an average of 30.23. Coming to the List-A format, the Hisar-born scored 1132 runs at an average of 26.95. Bisla first broke into the IPL arena in 2010 and did a decent job with the bat for Kings XI Punjab (Punjab Kings), scoring 218 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 122.47. However, he rose to prominence in 2012 during his stint for Kolkata Knight Riders. Bisla featured in seven games and scored 213 runs at a strike rate of 133.12. He came to his own in the summit clash of IPL 2012 against Chennai Super Kings and played a blistering knock of 89 runs off 48 deliveries to help KKR clinch their maiden IPL title. However, the former wicketkeeper-batter failed to carry on the good work in the IPL in the seasons to come. Overall, he played 39 matches in the lucrative T20 tournament and scored 798 runs at a strike rate of 113.68. 6. Manpreet Gony Manpreet Gony was a proven performer in the Indian domestic circuit. He featured in 61 first-class games and bagged 196 wickets at an average of 28.77. Coming to the shortest format, the former Punjab bowler picked up 97 scalps in 91 games at an economy of 7.71. Gony lit the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League with his incredible performances. He featured in 16 matches for Chennai Super Kings and bagged 17 wickets at an economy of 7.38. Courtesy of his superb bowling displays, he got his maiden international call-up in the 50-over format. However, Gony lacked consistency with the ball in seasons to follow and as a result, his stocks in the IPL arena dipped significantly. Overall, the Roopnagar-born featured in 44 games in the T20 carnival and could manage 37 scalps at an economy of 8.7. He retired from Indian cricket in June 2019. 5. Rahul Sharma Rahul Sharma made his IPL debut in the year 2010 for Deccan Chargers and did a decent job with the ball, bagging five wickets in six matches at an economy of 8.08. Pune Warriors India liked what they saw in the then-budding cricketer and drafted him into their side for the fourth edition of the marquee event. Rahul was phenomenal in the IPL 2011 and tormented batters with his guile. He featured in 14 matches and bagged 16 wickets at an economy of 5.46. Based on his sensational showings, he broke into the Indian white-ball set-up. The Jalandhar-born featured in two T20Is and bagged three wickets at an economy of 7.63. In the ODIs, he made four appearances on the national side and picked up six scalps at an economy of 5.15. However, Rahul was not able to play in the same vein in the following editions of the cash-rich league. Overall, he played 44 IPL matches and picked up 40 wickets at an economy of 7.02. The former Indian cricketer’s last outing in the lucrative T20 tournament was in 2014 where he represented Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). 4. Alfonso Thomas Alfonso Thomas was a prominent figure in the shortest format of the game. He had numerous variations up his sleeve and was a force to be reckoned with at the fag end of the innings. On his day, the Cape Town-born dismantled even the best of batting line-ups and stamped his authority on the cricket field. The former South African cricketer featured in 225 T20 matches and bagged a staggering tally of 263 wickets at an economy of 7.55. Alfonso also made one international appearance in the shortest format and bagged three wickets at an economy of 6.25. Though Alfonso was not at his wicket-taking best in the Indian Premier League, he did a decent job with the ball and picked up 14 wickets in 15 matches for Pune Warriors India at an economy of 7.73. The former right-arm pacer played his final game in May 2012 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. 3. Corey Anderson Corey Anderson has been a ferocious striker of the cricket ball and was known to dismantle bowling attacks with his swashbuckling stroke play. Also, he has been a wily customer with the ball and chipped in with crucial wickets. The Christchurch-born has plundered 2770 runs in 152 T20 games at a strike rate of 138.36 and bagged 36 wickets at an economy of 9.06. He was a match-winner with the bat for New Zealand too and notched up 485 runs in 31 T20Is at a strike rate of 138.17. Witnessing his exploits, Mumbai Indians signed him for the 2014 season. The former Kiwi batter was brilliant with the bat and smashed 265 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 146.40, which includes a breathtaking knock of 95* runs off 44 balls in a must-win game against Rajasthan Royals in the 56th game of the T20 carnival. However, he was dismal with his performances in the coming seasons and was not able to set the IPL arena on fire with his batting exploits. Also, he did not have much impact with the ball too. Overall, the ace all-rounder has scored 538 runs in 30 matches at a strike rate of 127.19 and bagged 11 wickets at an alarming rate of 10.46. 2. Doug Bollinger Doug Bollinger was a consistent performer in the T20 circuit. He troubled batters with his swing and wreaked havoc with the ball. The Sydney-born featured in 129 matches in the shortest format and bagged 139 wickets at an economy of 7.82. He showed his class in the international arena too, taking 62 scalps in 39 ODIs at an economy of 4.57. Bollinger was magnificent in the third edition of the lucrative T20 tournament. He featured in eight matches for Chennai Super Kings and picked up 12 wickets at an excellent economy of 6.67. The former Australian cricketer was at the top of his game in the following season and bagged 17 scalps in 13 matches. His spectacular showings were instrumental in CSK clinching the IPL title in the years 2010 and 2011. Bollinger was amongst the wickets in the 2012 season too and picked up eight scalps in six games but leaked runs at an economy of 8.72. However, it was quite unfortunate that a player of Doug’s caliber did not get any further opportunities in the marquee tournament. 1. Tillakaratne Dilshan Tillakaratne Dilshan was one of those players who made heads turn every time he stepped into the cricket field. He obliterated bowlers with his marauding bat and established his supremacy in the international arena. The Kalutara-born featured in 330 ODIs and amassed 10,290 runs at an average of 39.27. Also, he was a vital contributor with the ball and picked up 106 wickets in those outings. Dilshan was known to take down bowling attacks with his glorious stroke play but he was not at his best in the Indian Premier League. The former Sri Lankan cricketer did play some eye-catching knocks in the marquee event but did not do the same on a consistent basis. At times, his scoring rate was also under the scanner. Dilshan featured in 52 IPL matches and scored 1153 runs at a mediocre strike rate of 114.50. He represented Delhi Daredevils from the year 2008 to 2010 and then donned the RCB jersey from the fourth edition to the sixth edition of the T20 extravaganza. The former right-handed batter made his final IPL appearance on April 27, 2013. For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store

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IPL: 10 forgotten players

There are certain cricketers who showed a lot of promise but failed to make it big in the IPL.

6. Manpreet Gony

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