IPL: 5 bowlers capable of opening the innings for their teams

A few years ago, we seldom found bowlers exhibiting their abilities with the bat. There was never a thought about them batting up the order except for the nightwatchman’s role in a Test match. Just as the thought process went, bowlers too never tried hard to perform well with the bat. They were more than happy with their roles and never attempted going the extra mile. Although there were a few good knocks from some of the bowlers here and there, it was never really consistent.

But, with the changing scenarios in the modern game, we are finding more and more bowlers working on their batting. They provide the team with some handy runs down the order. Also, a few bowlers went a step ahead with their batting and are very capable of batting much higher up the order just like Sunil Narine for KKR.

Here are the players who can be used for opening the batting for their teams:

1. Rashid Khan | Sunrisers Hyderabad

Rashid Khan is one of the most important bowlers in the SRH lineup. He has won the team quite a few games with his brilliance with the ball. Even greats like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni failed to pick his googly this year and were left stranded. Rashid Khan has come into prominence with the bat in the Big Bash League recently. The Afghan legspinner has smashed bowlers for huge sixes in the huge Australian grounds. In fact, Rashid also started his career as a batsman before he switched to leg spin.

He has made his mark in the IPL as well after he scored 34* off just 10 balls in the second qualifier against KKR in 2018. His innings was potentially the difference between the two sides and helped SRH win the game. SRH could use him as the opener in their lineup given the team’s vulnerability with the bat.