IPL: Players who proved to be one-season wonders

The Indian Premier League has a long history of unearthing quality talents, but at the same time, there also have been players who excelled in a season or two but then fizzled away soon after. The 13th edition of the franchise-based league is finally set to get underway in the UAE from September 19 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Here, we take a look at some of the one-season wonders who announced their arrival in style but soon fell into obscurity.

Paul Valthaty

Let's start with the most obvious one, Paul Chandrashekar Valthaty! The explosive right-hander from Mumbai made his IPL debut in 2009 for Rajasthan Royals but it was in 2011 when he shot into the limelight with a match-winning 63-ball 120* for Kings XI Punjab against Chennai Super Kings. Apart from that, he also scored two half-centuries and ended the tournament the sixth highest run-getter. Valthaty, who was part of the 2002 Under-19 World Cup squad, also took seven wickets that season to put the cherry on top. The Mumbai lad however performed horribly in the next season, managing only 30 runs in six innings and could never bounce back. Valthaty was then employed by Air India and started playing for them. He now also spends a lot of time coaching young players at his Homeground Cricket Academy in Mumbai.

Swapnil Asnodkar

The right-handed batsman from Goa played a key role for Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008 which the franchise won under the inspirational leadership of Shane Warne. He opened the innings with Graeme Smith and did a wonderful job for his team. Asnodkar however failed to take that next step and had a poor run in the next season. He was around for two more years but could never reach the same heights. He however kept playing for his state and had a pretty successful first-class and List-A career. Asnodkar was dropped from the state team after the 2018 season and was appointed as the head coach of Goa Under-23 side in 2019.  

Pradeep Sangwan

The left-arm paceman impressed in his maiden Ranji season by picking up 33 wickets and was picked up for the 2008 Under-19 World Cup which India won under the leadership of Virat Kohli. Sangwan was terrific for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2009 in which he ended up as the joint second-highest wicket-taker for the franchise. He struggled in the 2010 and 2012 editions and in 2013, Sangwan was tested positive for stanozolol, a prohibited steroid and was banned from competitive cricket for 18 months. He made his return in the 2014-15 Ranji Trophy and had a decent season for his state Delhi next year. He played for Gujarat Lions in 2016 and 2017 but failed to impress. He was then bought by Mumbai Indians in 2018 but only got to play one game. He hasn't played much in the last one year or two because of injuries but the 29-year-old still has a lot of cricket left in him.

Manpreet Gony

The well-built paceman from Punjab impressed everyone in the first edition of the cash-rich league where he picked up 17 wickets at an economy of 7.38 for the runner-up Chennai Super Kings. Such was the impact that Gony went on to make his ODI debut in the same year against Hong Kong. However, he only played two ODIs and failed to replicate his performance in national colors. He kept on playing in the IPL but injuries and bad form plagued his career. He was later picked by Kings XI Punjab in 2013 and played a man-of-the-match worthy knock - 42 off 18 - against Kolkata Knight Riders, but that was it. He kept on playing for Punjab till 2019 before announcing his retirement from domestic cricket. Since then, Gony has been playing minor franchise-based T10 and T20 leagues around the world.

Kamran Khan

Coming from a humble background, Kamran earned an IPL contract with Rajasthan Royal in 2009. A left-arm paceman with a slingy action, Kamran was impressive in his debut season. He defended seven runs in the final over against Saurav Ganguly and even bowled the first super over in IPL history after the match ended in a tie. Following that match, everyone started talking about him and was hailed as the "next big thing" in Indian cricket. However, it all went downhill for the young pacer after he was called for chucking. He did correct his action and even played a match for the now-defunct Pune Warriors in 2011 in which he was taken for 47 runs in three overs. He then never managed to get an IPL contract and become a wheat farmer. Kamran is now employed by Sahara and is living a comfortable life.

Rahul Sharma

The tall leg-spinner from Punjab made his IPL debut for Deccan Chargers in 2010 before shifting his base to the now-defunct Pune Warriors in 2011 where he made quite a name for himself. He took 16 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 5.5 and was soon called up to the national team. He played four ODIs and two T20Is, but his career was cut short after he tested positive for consumption of drugs in a rave party in Mumbai along with South African cricketer Wayne Parnell. He played his last IPL match in 2014 and was bought by Chennai Super Kings in 2015 but didn't get a single game. He has been playing inter-district matches in Punjab but a comeback looks almost impossible for the 33-year-old.

Sudeep Tyagi

Tall and lanky, Tyagi took a 10-wicket haul on his Ranji Trophy debut and ended the season with 41 wickets at an average of 21.63. He looked destined for bigger and better things but Tyagi had a stress fracture and couldn't take part in the first edition of the IPL. He played for Chennai Super Kings in 2009 and bowled with good control, picking up the big wickets of Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, AB de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs and Sanath Jayasuriya. He didn't have to wait too long for his international debut and played his first ODI in the same year. He could only feature in four ODIs and soon faded out of the limelight with the emergence of new bowlers. He was on the bench for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013 and was soon dropped from his state side. He then played first-class cricket for Saurashtra and Hyderabad but hardly created any impact.