IPL 2022: Teamwise unsung hero of the tournament

The Indian Premier League (IPL) reached its conclusion for this season last month. Like every year, there have were several notable performances from homegrown as well as overseas players. Moreover, two new franchises were also introduced this year, with both making the playoffs and the Gujarat Titans going a step further and winning the trophy in its maiden season.

IPL is known to unearth new talents every season. An opportunity to showcase your skill on the biggest stage is what any aspiring cricketer craves. It is not just a platform for uncapped Indian players to display their potential, but we also see many upcoming overseas talents every year.

This year’s IPL was no different. Some usual suspects performed exceedingly well, a few new stars like Dewald Brevis, Tilak Varma, Mukesh Choudhary, Rajat Patidar, and Mohsin Khan are ones to look forward to the future. Some unsung heroes did their job and made small yet crucial contributions in helping their side cross the finish line in important games.

Here is a list of one such player from each franchise from this edition of the IPL:

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR)

RR’s campaign in 2022 was all about Jos Buttler. His opening partner though made small yet crucial contributions to help his team get off to a great start in powerplays this season. However, his position in the team wasn’t a guarantee after the auction as Devdutt Padikkal was bought, providing another opening option.

Royals decided to open with Jaiswal at the start of their campaign with Padikkal in the middle-order. However, after failures against RCB and MI, he was dropped. Padikkal was inconsistent himself in the games he opened and they decided to go back to their initial opening combination.

In his comeback match against PBKS, Jaiswal smashed 68 off 41 balls to help the Royals win the crucial encounter. In the game against LSG, the southpaw was again responsible for providing a quick start in the powerplay, scoring 41 off just 29 balls. Royals were chasing a modest target of 151 against CSK in their last group game, with a win needed to ensure a top two finish on the points table.

Once again Jaiswal delivered in an important match with a half-century that ensured RR finished above Lucknow. What’s crucial to note in these performances is that they came at a time, when Buttler had a quiet string of games towards the end of group stages. His knocks ensured there was less pressure on Jos going into the playoffs, where he rediscovered his form to take them to the finals.