Emerging heroes: 5 Lesser-known players to watch out for in IPL 2020
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has narrowed the barrier for youngsters and players coming from small cities to showcase their talent at a big stage. The franchises too strive hard to spring in surprises by bringing players who are hardly being noticed. A good number of such players have gone on to represent the Indian national team. In this article, we look at five players who are not in the limelight but could come up with solid performances if given a chance. Here are five lesser-known players to watch out for during the IPL 2020:
Shahbaz Ahmed:
All-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed hasn’t got much attention despite playing over 40 matches in professional cricket while representing Bengal. The 25-year-old has performed well with both bat and ball irrespective of the format. The left-hander averages over 30 with the bat in all three formats and has claimed 15 wickets from 16 T20s while going at an economy of 6.37.
Darshan Nalkande:
Darshan Nalkande is one of the many young prospects in the Kings XI Punjab’s squad. He was picked by the franchise before the 2019 edition but hasn’t arrived on the scene yet. Darshan Nalkande has made an impressive start to his T20 career with 19 wickets from only nine matches which includes a 5-wicket haul. Darshan can be a useful striker with the bat as he scored quick-fire fifties in List A and FC formats.
Virat Singh:
Virat Singh was roped in for a good figure in the auction for the 2020 IPL by the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Jharkhand batsman has been reliable for his state team just like ‘Virat’ Kohli of the national team. Singh has scored over 1500 runs in his 56-match T20 career at a solid average of 35.27 with help of ten fifties.
Manimaran Siddharth:
Manimaran Siddharth, the left-arm spinner from Tamil Nadu, was picked at base price by the Kolkata Knight Riders. Siddharth made his T20 debut during the 2019-20 season where he began with a 4-wicket haul against Mumbai. In the following two matches, he picked up 3 and 4 wickets respectively against Punjab and Jharkhand extending his tally to 11 wickets in three matches.
Prince Balwant Rai Singh:
Mumbai Indians are known to pick players out of nowhere from the domestic circuit. This year, Prince Balwant Rai Singh seems to be such a pick from the IPL’s most successful franchise. Prince hasn’t made his professional debut yet but represented the Punjab Under-16 team a few years ago. Prince is basically a traditional leg-spinner and could also chip in runs with the bat.
