The IPL has had a history of bringing unknown players into the limelight. While it is quite evident that many Indian players grow in stature during the IPL, there have been individual overseas players like Buttler, Faulkner, Tye, etc., who have benefitted from having a successful outing in the IPL. Read in this blog about the top 5 overseas performers of this season.
Here are the top 5 finds of IPL 2020:
1. Anrich Nortje:
Anrich Nortje had represented South Africa in all game formats before IPL 2020, but he became a household name thanks to his engaging performances. He was signed as a replacement for Chris Woakes and was one of the tournament’s leading wicket-takers.
Nortje picked up 22 wickets in 16 matches and was quite consistent throughout the tournament. He had the ability of bowling during the powerplay and at the death. He delivered the quickest ball in IPL history (156.2 kmph), which gained a lot of traction in the media.
2. Thangarasu Natarajan:
Natarajan appears to be a very calm and quiet person, but he turns into a different beast when he starts bowling. Natarajan earned the tag of being the yorker specialist this season. He had a tiny fan following this campaign, but his excellent bowling has made him a national call-up.
He possesses the unique ability of bowling yorkers for fun. The mere thought of Bumrah and Natarajan bowling at India’s death brings water in the mouth of Indian fans. At 29, he isn’t the youngest by any means, but he has an exciting future ahead of him if he can keep bowling yorkers at will.
3. Devdutt Padikkal:
Devdutt Padikkal was the winner of the emerging player of the season award, so his inclusion in the list was a no brainer. “DDP” managed to outscore all-time greats Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers and finished the season as RCB’s top scorer.
If he can produce similar numbers in next year’s IPL, it won’t be long before pushing Shikhar Dhawan for the opener’s spot in India’s limited-overs setup. Along with Shaw and Gill, the future for top-order batsmen in India looks very bright. He is also part of our top-5 uncapped performers in this IPL.
4. Sam Curran:
It is hard to believe that such a mature individual like Sam Curran is just 22 years old. Having played with KXIP last season, his time at CSK in IPL 2020 caught the eye of cricket fans across the globe. He picked up 13 wickets and played some fearless cameos whenever he was given a chance to do so.
With many star players ageing at CSK, Sam Curran could well be the kind of player Stephen Fleming decides to build the team around. If they don’t retain him, he will undoubtedly be one of the most sought-after players in next year’s auction.
5. Ravi Bishnoi:
Ravi Bishnoi had a few challenges for the last spot, but given he is only 20, Bishnoi has the potential of being a world-beater. Bishnoi was very impressive in his debut season with the Kings XI Punjab. He was so good that he managed to keep Mujeeb ur Rehman and Krishnappa Gowtham out of the side.
What makes Bishnoi unique is he is not afraid to toss the ball up, and he is always looking for wickets. He bagged 12 wickets while bowling a lot of tricky overs. His economy rate of 7.37 is admirable, considering he was sometimes asked to bowl during the death overs as well.
Honourable Mentions: Varun Chakravarthy, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Abdul Samad.