The Indian Premier League is known for unearthing talent. Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj – the list of players that went on to play for India via the IPL is pretty long. Much like every season, IPL 2021 also introduced fans to a few players whom nobody would have expected to do well. Let’s look at five of those players.
Ayushi Badoni – Lucknow Super Giants
One of the youngsters who stole the limelight this season was Ayushi Badoni of Lucknow Super Giants. While Badoni wasn’t among this season’s highest run-scorers, some of his performances were exceptionally good. Playing his first IPL season, the 22-year-old scored 161 runs in 13 innings at an average and strike rate of 20.13 and 123.85.
In his debut match, Badoni played a tremendous innings under pressure. LSG were struggling for runs when Badoni scored 54 off 41 at a strike rate of 131.7 to take the team to a total of 158/6. His knock was laced with four fours and three sixes.
Tilak Verma – Mumbai Indians
Nobody would have expected Tilak Verma, an uncapped player, to top-score for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2022, especially with the team having the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav in their ranks. 19-year-old Tilak finished this season with 397 runs at an average of over 36 and strike rate of 131.02. The left-hand batsman from Hyderabad was a member of India’s U19 World Cup squad in 2020 and was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 1.7 crore. In domestic cricket, Verma has played four first class matches, 16 List A games and 29 T20s.
Mukesh Choudhary – Chennai Super Kings
In his debut season, fast bowler Mukesh Choudhary finished with 16 wickets and was one of CSK’s standout performers in a season the franchise would like to forget. Hailing from the Bhilwara district of Rajasthan, the bowler was bought by CSK for the base price of 20 lakhs during the IPL 2022 mega auction. He was the leading wicket-taker for Maharashtra in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021, which propelled him into limelight. The pacer was groomed by Glenn McGrath at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai.
Mohsin Khan – Lucknow Super Giants
Everyone expected LSG’s Avesh Khan to do well this season. But not many even knew who Mohsin Khan is. The bowler from Uttar Pradesh picked up 13 wickets this season at an economy of just under six. The left-arm pacer, who was bought by the Lucknow team for Rs 20 lakh, also won a Player of the Match award for his four wickets against Delhi Capitals. Mohsin was previously with Mumbai Indians from 2018 to 2020 but did not get a game. In domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh, the youngster has played 17 List A matches, picking 26 wickets at an average of 20.92 and economy rate of 5.15.
Rinku Singh – Kolkata Knight Riders
Everyone remembered Rinku Singh as the guy who warms the bench for KKR season after season. But this year, the batsman was finally given a chance in the XI and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He scored a few really impressive knocks down the order, including a 40 off just 15 balls. Singh scored 174 runs in seven games at an average of 34.80 and strike rate of 148.72.
Image credit: IPL
