Top 5 IPL match winners who could not make it to the national team

Indian Premier League has been a platform for budding cricketers to showcase their skills against some of the finest players in world cricket. The lucrative T20 tournament has also witnessed many players from the domestic circuit fast-tracked into the international circuit. Be it India’s spearhead Jasprit Bumrah or ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya, or ICC Men's T20I Player of the Year 2022, Suryakumar Yadav, IPL has been a pathway for cricketers to break into the national team. However, there have been certain players who, despite proving their mettle in the IPL arena, never got a chance to don the national jersey. Here are the top five IPL match winners who could not make it to the national team 5. Paul Valthaty Paul Valthaty was one of the promising cricketers in the Mumbai cricketing circles. He took the 2011 season of the Indian Premier League by storm with his breathtaking performances. The ace batter featured in 14 matches for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and notched up 463 runs at a strike rate of 136.98. Valthaty took the attack to the opposition right from the get-go and provided his side with brisk starts on a consistent basis. He struck a blistering century against a star-studded Chennai Super Kings team to take Punjab across the line. Besides his batting might, the Mumbai born was quite handy with the ball and bagged seven wickets for KXIP at an economy of 7.82, including a sensational four-wicket haul against Deccan Charges. Valthaty played a fearless brand of cricket and was a valuable addition to any side. However, he was not able to break into the Indian team. Moreover, the former Mumbai cricketer failed to carry on the good work in the IPL in the seasons to come and thus, was able to make his case for a national call-up stronger. 4. Pravin Tambe Pravin Tambe set the 2013 Champions League T20 ablaze with his spectacular performances. Tambe bamboozled batters with his variations and wreaked havoc with the ball. He was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, picking up 12 wickets in five matches at a stunning economy of 4.10. Tambe also weaved his magic in the 2014 season of the Indian Premier League. He featured in 13 matches for Rajasthan Royals and picked up 15 wickets at an economy of 7.26. It consists of a brilliant hat trick in the 25th match of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders. Tambe created a lot of buzz with his remarkable bowling displays in the marquee T20 tournaments. However, he was never in the reckoning of a place in India’s national team. One of the reasons that could have stood against the ace spinner was his age, as Pravin was 41 years old when he made his IPL debut in 2013. 3. Tirumalasetti Suman During his playing days, Tirumalasetti Suman was one of the exciting prospects in the Indian domestic circuit. He rose to prominence in the 2009 season of the lucrative T20 tournament where he scored 237 runs in 12 games for Deccan Chargers at a strike rate of 124.73. Suman displayed his class in the following IPL season as well and played an anchor role to perfection. He featured in 14 matches and notched up 307 runs at a strike rate of 119.45, which includes a magnificent knock of 78* runs off 57 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Suman had the ability to bat both the top order and middle order and provided versatility to the batting line-up. Given he fared well in two consecutive IPL seasons, the former Hyderabad batter had a strong case to receive an international call-up but it was not meant to be. 2. Manvinder Bisla Manvinder Bisla was one of the talented wicketkeeper-batters in the Indian domestic circuit. He made his IPL debut in 2010 for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and did a decent job with the bat, scoring 218 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 122.47. But it was the 2012 season when Bisla caught a lot of eyeballs with his exploits with the bat for Kolkata Knight Riders. In the finals of the T20 extravaganza against Chennai Super Kings, he knocked the winds out of the opposition’s bowling attacks and plundered 89 runs off 48 deliveries to help KKR clinch their maiden IPL title. Bisla ended the fifth IPL edition with 213 runs under his belt in seven games at a strike rate of 133.12. Despite putting up a show with the bat in the cash-rich league, the wicketkeeper-batter did not get any opportunity in the international circuit. 1. Rajat Bhatia Rajat Bhatia was a giant of a player in the Indian domestic circuit. The former Delhi cricketer featured in 112 first-class matches and piled on 6482 runs at an average of 49.12. On the bowling front, he picked up 137 wickets at an average of 27.97. Rajat displayed his bowling might in IPL 2012. He was a wily customer with the ball and stemmed the flow of runs, providing Kolkata Knight Riders with timely breakthroughs. He featured in 17 games and bagged 13 scalps at an economy of 7.31. The Delhi-born fared well in the following two IPL seasons too, taking a combined tally of 23 wickets in 27 games at an economy of under eight. Despite Rajat’s consistent performances in the cash-rich league, he was not able to break into the national side.

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Top 5 IPL match winners who could not make it to the national team

There have been certain players who despite proving their mettle in the IPL arena, have not got a chance to don the blue jersey.

1. Rajat Bhatia

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