IPL: 6 unexpected star performers in the tournament history

The IPL has seen several heroes across seasons playing for multiple franchises. Players like Chris Gayle and Rashid Khan have created havoc in the IPL ever since they started playing in the league.

However, there have also been players who had not come in with a big reputation. They proved their mettle solely with their performances. These players were surprise packages and ended up as the star performers of the season.

The other franchises hardly saw them as threats which proved to be even better for them to put up their skills on display. With minimum pressure on them, they came out trumps.

Here we look at 6 unexpected star performers across the IPL seasons

1. Harshal Patel

The amateur medium-pacer from Gujarat has been playing in the IPL for a few seasons now, although he isn’t among the seasoned performers of the league. Harshal Patel first played in the IPL in 2012 for RCB.

In the 2020 season, he was part of DC where he put up decent performances in the games that he played. Following the good season, he was traded back to his former franchise, RCB in the 2021 season.

He was straightaway drafted into the first XI and was given the duties of bowling in the middle overs and in the death. Harshal proved to be a runaway match-winner for the Southern franchise as he picked a fifer in the very first match of the league against MI.

He became the first bowler in the history of the league to take 5 wickets in an innings against MI. He continued such performances in the following matches too and ended the curtailed season with 17 wickets in 7 matches.

He was also the highest wicket-taker until the suspension of the league that was announced due to multiple Covid-19 cases in various franchises.

2. Rahul Tripathi

After a ban was imposed on CSK and RR in 2016, 2 new teams, RPS and GL were introduced. RPS looked like a strong franchise at the start of the league, but they were soon hit by multiple injuries and various were players ruled out.

The batting order of the team looked a bit weak and it was not known who shall lead the batters. At a time of such crisis, the onus was taken up by young Rahul Tripathi. His domestic numbers were not that great, so his selection did raise a few eyebrows.

He was introduced in the middle and seeing his stroke play he was promoted up the order to open the innings.

Opening suited him very well as made full use of the power-play, easily clearing the infield. He opened for the rest of the tournament and scored 391 runs in 14 matches at a healthy strike rate. Thus, he was the unexpected star player of the season.

3. Shaun Marsh

IPL 2008 was staged at a grand level to attract attention worldwide. All the teams were star-studded with both Indian and International superstars.

As the focus was on the giants, this Australian batsman, Shaun Marsh went unnoticed. However, his performance made sure that he got recognition. He was Kings XI Punjab’s spearhead in the batting lineup and a major reason for their success in the opening season.

Marsh scored 616 runs playing in only 11 matches of the season. His average was as high as 68 and finished the season with the Orange Cap on his head. He was the kind of player who caused more damage than expected.

4. Swapnil Asnodkar

One of the aims of the IPL was to provide opportunities to young Indian talents. However, the limelight was hogged by big names like Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar. To stand out among such big names was a huge achievement in itself.

One such player who was able to do this was Swapnil Asnodkar. The Goa batsman was a part of the winning team, Rajasthan Royals, where he played as a top-order batsman. He scored runs consistently whenever he got the opportunity.

Although RR’s success was attributed to performances from Shane Watson and Yusuf Pathan, Asnodkar played his part really well and produced some mature innings when the team was in trouble.

In all, he scored 311 runs in the season at 34.95 and a strike rate of above 133. He was nicknamed ‘Goan Cannon’ for his strong performances during the season.

5. Paul Valthaty

After a successful start to the league in the first season, Punjab did not really have that good seasons later on. Their big match-winners too were not firing as such.

One young name that emerged in this gloomy time was Paul Valthaty. He was not known by many until his hurricane effort of 120* from 63 deliveries against CSK grabbed the limelight.

That innings won the game for Punjab and was the highest score that season. Earlier he had played a couple of games in the second season of the IPL for Rajasthan but could not impress much.

He continued to produce decent performances further in the 2011 season and proved to be a surprise package for his side. However, he faded away in the forthcoming seasons.

5. Ambati Rayudu

After serving a ban of 2 years, CSK and RR were making a comeback in the IPL. The fans from Chennai were excited to see their heroes, especially MS Dhoni, back in action in the yellow jersey.

The expectations were really high and one of the guys who stood up was Ambati Rayudu. Rayudu has played the IPL for many years now and is a decent middle-order batsman.

But not many expected him to be as important as he proved to be in the 2018 season. He opened the innings in most of the matches and produced wonderful knocks. He also adjusted quickly when asked to play in the middle order.

Eventually, he scored 600+ runs in the season at an average of 43 in 16 matches. Rayudu even scored a century and was among the top 5 run-scorers of the season. He thus played a pivotal role in helping CSK lift the Cup in their comeback season.