5 best spells by uncapped players in IPL Playoffs
Led by uncapped Indian bowler Akash Madhwal, Mumbai Indians (MI) smashed Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2023 Eliminator. Over the years, the IPL has become a grand stage where young Indian prodigies rise up and make the world take notice.
Historically, India have been known as a batting country. But there has been a shift over the last few years. While batting can win you matches, a good bowling attack is often needed to win tournaments.
A successful IPL side is one where uncapped Indian players step up and leave an impression. Here we take a look at 5 brilliant performances by uncapped Indian bowlers in the IPL playoffs:
#5 Manpreet Gony – 2/14 vs Kings XI Punjab
A tall, strong bowler Manpreet Gony played a big part in the early success of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He used to hit the deck and get disconcerting bounce. He was very impressive in the IPL back in 2008 and in the semi-final clash between CSK and KXIP, he made his presence felt.
He picked up the wickets of Kumar Sangakkara and Yuvraj Singh and broke the back of Punjab’s batting order. He ended with figures of 2 for 14 runs in his four overs. Punjab were restricted to a paltry 112 and CSK chased it down with ease.
#4 Yusuf Pathan – 3/22 vs Chennai Super Kings
2008 was Yusuf Pathan’s season. He was one key element in Rajasthan Royals going all the way and clinching the IPL title. In the final, the right-hander made his presence felt, not only with the bat but also with the ball. Bowling first, Rajasthan managed to keep CSK down to 163 in 20 overs.
Pathan was the star with the ball as he picked up three wickets for 22 and accounted for the wickets of Parthiv Patel, Vidyut Sivaramkrishnan, and Albie Morkel. Rajasthan went on to win the match and became the first side to win the IPL trophy.
#3 Syed Mohammad – 2/25 vs Mumbai Indians
Back in 2011, Royal Challengers Bangalore flexed their muscles against the Mumbai Indians in the playoffs. They batted first, posted 185 for 4 in 20 overs and then, their spinners took charge.
Mumbai were never able to get going in the chase as the pitch became conducive to spinners. Daniel Vettori led the charge and picked up three wickets while young left-arm spinner Syed Mohammad gave him great support with a superb spell of 2 wickets for 25 runs.
#2 Sreenath Aravind – 2/20 vs Rajasthan Royals
2015 was a good year for Sreenath Aravind. After impressing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), he was also named for the Indian team for one T20I against South Africa. Earlier in the year, Aravind made his presence felt with figures of 2 wickets for 20 runs against Rajasthan Royals.
The Royals had to chase down 180, but never found any momentum as RCB’s bowlers used their variations to great effect. Aravind was difficult to get away and he ended with figures of 2 wickets for 20 runs in his four overs as RCB won the match by 71 runs.
#1 Kuldeep Yadav – 3/35 vs SunRisers Hyderabad
Young left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav was making all the right moves for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He was becoming extremely difficult to pick and was almost always amongst the wickets. On a batting beauty in Delhi, SRH motored along, but they were stumped by Kuldeep.
The young man picked up 3 wickets for 35 runs and played a big part in keeping SRH to 162 for 8. KKR could not get going in the chase and were restricted to 140 for 8. Kuldeep went on to play for India the next year and soon established himself as a key bowler across all three formats.