IPL 2019: One bowler from each team who could be used as a trump card
When Sri Lanka met India in a Super Four game of Asia Cup 2008, they ended up losing the game by 6 wickets even after scoring a par score of 308 in the first innings. Fast forward to the final, the result was completely different. After setting a moderate target of 274, Sri Lanka restricted the formidable Indian batting line up to a paltry score of 173 and won the game by a huge margin of 100 runs.
One player who proved to be the difference was the mystery spinner from Sri Lanka, Ajantha Mendis. Sri Lanka did not play him in the earlier game despite the fact that he was their key bowler in the tournament. That actually proved to be a masterstroke since Indian batsmen had no clue about the variety that Mendis had in store and ended up losing wickets in clusters.
Cometh IPL 2019, Captains from each team might have some interesting bowling options close to their chest whom they might use as a trump card in crunch situations. Here is our attempt to list out the bowlers who could be the potential surprise weapon from each IPL side.
#1 Royal Challengers Bangalore: Washington Sundar
When Washington Sundar was picked by RCB last year, it was expected that he would be used as a potential weapon with the ball. After proving his mettle with the ball in the World Cup U19, Sundar himself would have expected a better outing in the IPL. But he could not manage to perform to the best of his abilities.
Considering the fact that almost all IPL teams have left-handers in their top order, Washington Sundar could easily be used in the powerplay to restrict the flow of runs and get early breakthroughs.
The accuracy with which he bowls the off-spinners makes it really tough for the batsmen to score runs freely, making him one of the natural choices to be used in the initial 6 overs.