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IPL 2021: Uncapped Indians who stole the show

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Last updated on 14 May 2021 | 10:43 AM
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IPL 2021: Uncapped Indians who stole the show

We, at Cricket.com, take a look at five such players whose performances demanded all the adulations

“Name Chod. Game Dikha” #GameBanayegaName - The previous edition of the Indian Premier League had a really interesting theme for their promotional adverts and truly captured the essence. The youngsters shone through, leaving everyone in awe of their talents, showcasing the rich reserves of Indian cricket.

This edition took that to another level. Not only the batsmen dazzled, the uncapped Indian bowlers put up their names for the bigger challenges with some sublime spells. That the top two wicket-takers this season were Indian and haven’t played an international game at all tells you the full story. 

Devdutt Padikkal 

For the second year running, Devdutt Padikkal gave a glimpse of his talent and ability to score runs consistently. However, in IPL 2020, the criticism that he had to face was because of his inability to pace the innings according to the demands of T20 cricket and thus bringing questions about his utility as Virat Kohli’s opening partner.

However, come IPL 2021, not only did he score at a brisk pace of 152.34, only four batsmen managed more runs at a better strike rate. His century against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium was one for the ages but what caught the eye was his ability to take down spin bowling with absolute ease. 

The Karnataka opener was one of the two batsmen who had faced 30+ balls against spin and scored at a 150 strike rate without being dismissed. His balls/boundary ratio of 3.7 against spin was the third-best in the entire tournament, making him one of the most improved players this season.

Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s season this year had a 2020 symmetry to it. Like last year, he started with a string of failures before launching himself to a different level of success. Unlike last year though, Gaikwad batted with more freedom, helping CSK get to comparatively quick starts. His strike rate of 128.94 might not seem eye-catching but scoring 196 following three one-digit scores are surely impressive.

In the middle-overs, he dominated proceedings as very few did. A strike rate of 190 with balls per boundary ratio of 3.4 was staggering enough to compliment Faf’s renewed batting approach. Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu set themselves for a similar approach as CSK almost secured their second-best winning streak in the history of IPL.

Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel has been around for a few years now but in IPL 2021, after being traded off by Delhi Capitals to Royal Challengers Bangalore, he truly came into his own. Ahead of the season, RCB was most criticized for the lack of depth in their death bowling but the Haryana all-rounder bridged that gap successfully and handed the Bangalore side a competitive advantage.

Not only was he the highest wicket-taker this season, but his average of 15.1 was also the best among all bowlers with a minimum of six wickets to their names. Sure enough, Jadeja’s carnage in Mumbai destroyed his SR figures quite a bit, but his heroics in the death, where he mixed his slower balls with nicely-planned yorkers, was the biggest difference in where RCB found themselves at the points table this year.

Avesh Khan

Avesh Khan is a classic case of persistence and perseverance leading the way to success. A cricketer with infectious passion, he vindicated the team management’s trust with his skill to take wickets at crucial junctures. In eight games, he returned with 14 wickets with an economy of only 7.7. 

Among bowlers who have bowled more than 25 Overs, Avesh had the best strike rate of them all and had bowled the second most number of yorkers in the death overs (13). Among bowlers who had bowled in 5+ innings in middle overs, his strike rate in this phase was second best. No wonder he was picked in the Indian squad for the England series and World Test Championship final as a reserve player.

Chetan Sakariya

As Kumar Sangakkara suggested, Chetan Sakariya was the real revelation of the season for Rajasthan Royals. Despite going through some tough times since the beginning of the year, Sakariya bowled with guts to emerge as one of the possible superstars. Seven wickets in seven games may not attract a lot of attention but he was extremely impressive in all phases of the game. 

More than the statistics, his skills made him a stand-out performer. He moved the ball both ways effortlessly while landing the back-of-the-hand and off-cutter slower ones to keep the batsmen in check. It was an important trait for a left-handed bowler - one that also showed that Sakariya is here for a long haul.

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