Top 10 surprise packages of IPL 2016

The Indian Premier League is known for the surprise packages it brings to the fore every season. While the international stars are always expected to take the limelight, the tournament brings up the unheralded players to the biggest stage and gives them a chance to shine and make a name for themselves. The 9th edition of the IPL wasn’t different either. Here are the top 10 surprise packages of IPL 2016: 1. KL Rahul – Royal Challengers Bangalore: Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Lokesh Rahul in action during an IPL match. (Photo Source: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) The Royal Challengers Bangalore tried experimenting by leaving out Chris Gayle. They fielded KL Rahul in the team and the player responded well enough. Such was his impact that he wasn’t dropped from the side in the matches that followed. Though his keeping wasn’t up to the standards expected, the kind of batting he displayed was phenomenal. He often stole the show by being the aggressor with Virat Kohli at the other end. Rahul amassed 397 runs in 14 matches at an average of 44.11 with 4 half centuries to his name. Who hit most sixes in the tournament? – Top 10 batsmen with most sixes in IPL 2016 2. Krunal Pandya – Mumbai Indians: Krunal Pandya. (Photo Source: BCCI) The find of the season for Mumbai Indians was Krunal Pandya. The left-handed all-rounder made sure he made the most out of the opportunities he got. While his younger brother, Hardik Pandya, lit up this stage last year, Krunal was the one in the news this year. He completely justified the 2 crore price tag that he came with. In the 12 matches that he played, he amassed 237 runs at a brilliant average of 39.5. He had the best strike rate among all the batsmen with more than 10 matches in this season, that of 191.12. His best came against Delhi Daredevils when he blasted 86 off just 37 balls and later went on to chip in figures of 2/15. He picked up 6 wickets in this season. 3. Adam Zampa – Rising Pune Supergiants: Adam Zampa. (Photo Source: BCCI) The Rising Pune Supergiants probably missed the trick by not fielding Adam Zampa in their playing eleven in the first half of the league stage. The limited opportunities that he got, Zampa made sure that he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. With 12 wickets in 5 matches, he had the best average (9.58), the best economy (6.76) and the best strike rate (8.5) among all the bowlers in the tournament. He picked up figures of 6/19 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad and became the first spinner to bag a 6 wicket haul in the history of the tournament. Also read – IPL 2016: Top 5 bowlers of the tournament 4. Shivil Kaushik – Gujarat Lions: Gujarat Lions bowler Shivil Kaushik celebrate fall of a wicket during an IPL match. (Photo Source: Surjeet Yadav/âIANS) The chinaman from Gujarat Lions made all the headlines with his action. Such weird was his action if we could say that, or rather unique would be the term for his action, he surprised everyone with his arrival in the tournament. Although he couldn’t impress on his debut, he soon picked up figures of 3/20 against the Kings XI Punjab to announce his arrival in style. Kaushik bagged 6 wickets in 7 matches and drew quite a lot of admirers. The off-shoot of Paul Adams was certainly a surprise element this season. 5. Bipul Sharma – Sunrisers Hyderabad: Bipul Sharma. (Photo Source: BCCI) The gutsy all-rounder from Himachal Pradesh, Bipul Sharma, was drafted into the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad this season. He got an early opportunity but was hammered for 0/40 against the Mumbai Indians. However, he came back strong with 1/10 against the Lions in the match that followed. The best was probably saved for the last. He hit two crucial sixes in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders to propel the team’s total to a decent score. In the Qualifier 2, he took the pressure off his skipper David Warner and the match away from the Gujarat Lions by hammering an unbeaten 27 off just 11 balls to take Sunrisers to the finals. Best cameos – Top 10 Best cameos of IPL 2016 6. Iqbal Abdulla – Royal Challengers Bangalore: Iqbal Abdulla (Photo Source: BCCI) RCB’s Iqbal Abdulla is a veteran when it comes to the Indian Premier League. He started off this season with a 3-wicket haul against the Mumbai Indians and then went wicketless for the next 3 games. Some believed he was just making up the numbers in the poor RCB bowling lineup. However, he came in handy when it mattered. It was his gutsy knock of unbeaten 33 that held the fort for the RCB in the Qualifier 1 of the tournament. He forged a match winning partnership with AB de Villiers. While his bowling side was a known package for all the fans, his new found batting success turned out to be a surprise package this season. 7. Rishab Pant – Delhi Daredevils: Rishab Pant. (Photo Source: BCCI) Delhi Daredevils fielded the U19 Indian player Rishab Pant in 10 of their league matches. The young lad how had earlier impressed all at the U19 level proved he could rub shoulders with the big boys too. He scored 198 runs in 10 matches at an average close to 25. The highlight of his IPL stint was the way he clobbered Mustafizur Rahman in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Rahman, who was one of the leading players this season, was handled uniquely by Pant. His top score of 69 against Gujarat Lions was the highlight for the youngster. 8. Ben Cutting – Sunrisers Hyderabad: Ben Cutting. (Photo Source: BCCI) Sunrisers Hyderabad fielded the 29-year-old Aussie pacer in the match against Kings XI Punjab towards the end of the league stage. Cutting, who has a reputation of having hit more sixes in his t20 career than the boundaries, lived up to the occasion as his unbeaten 18* propelled SRH to an exciting win over the Kings. His big hitting ability was on display and suddenly he had become a known name. He grabbed 2/20 against the Gujarat Lions in the Qualifiers. In the fielding department too, he rose to the occasion and probably made the best save of the season. He was the man of the night for the Sunrisers as he smashed 39 off just 15 balls and then followed it up with 2/35. Also check out – 10 Debutants who hogged the limelight in IPL 2016 9. Nitish Rana – Mumbai Indians: Nitish Rana. (Photo Source: BCCI) Nitish Rana was an unknown name to most of the cricket fans but make no mistake, he was the leading run-getter for Delhi in the last domestic season. He was drafted to the Mumbai Indians team and replaced Hardik Pandya in the playing XI. The first two innings saw him score 9 and 25 but his best came when he was promoted up the order against the Gujarat Lions. He bludgeoned the Lions attack and powered Mumbai Indians to a decent total with his 36-ball 70. With lofted shots over midwicket of the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja and Shadab Jakati, he caught the attention of many. 10. Marcus Stoinis – Kings XI Punjab: Kings XI Punjab celebrates fall of a wicket during an IPL match. (Photo Source: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Marcus Stoinis was arguably the best overseas player for the Kings XI Punjab this season. Though the Kings languished at the bottom of the points table, Stoinis looked like a promising talent. Stoinis was excellent with his all-around performances with both bat and ball, no wonder why he was a regular pick in the playing XI. He mustered 146 runs in 7 matches at an impressive average of 36.5 with a top score of 52. He had 8 wickets to his name to go with his batting heroics. He took a crucial 4/15 that helped the Kings thrash Mumbai Indians in the league stage. Analysis of the 8 teams – IPL 2016: The Team Analysis