IPL 2019: One unexpected performer from each team
IPL 2019 was a tournament filled with many surprises, heartbreaks and joyous moments for the fans.There were many thrilling encounters and the seasoned star performers continued to shine while a few new ones made their appearance too.
Players like Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran and Shubman Gill provided some quality performances while David Warner made a roaring comeback to the league.
That said, there were a few stars who initially weren't expected to be as successful as they ended up to be. Let's take a look at one such player from each team.
Chennai Super Kings - Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh defied the odds to deliver a rousing performance this season. There were a lot of questions over the fact that CSK retained him after he failed to make much impact last season, but the off-spinner's response was stunning.
He picked up 16 wickets in 11 games with a tight economy rate of 7.09 and brilliant average of 19.50. This kind of performance was certainly not expected from Bhajji, but the veteran proved the doubters wrong as he rattled the RCB batting order in the very first game.
Whether he will be retained or not, Harbhajan helped his side a lot this season. His unexpected return to form was a welcome change for CSK.
Delhi Capitals - Ishant Sharma
The Delhi Capitals had a dream run this season and made it to the playoffs with relative ease. Their star pace bowler Kagiso Rabada led the charge as he rattled the opposition batsmen to pick up 25 wickets. However, the overseas pacer wasn't the only bowler to make an impact.
Seasoned Indian pacer Ishant Sharma redeemed himself in the IPL after being unsold in the last auction. He picked up 13 wickets in 13 games at a good economy rate of 7.58, making a huge difference to the team.
Ishant's inclusion in the side raised eyebrows at first due to the fact that Delhi had three quality overseas pacers and talented Indian bowlers in Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel. But he proved that he was still a boss at handling the new ball and bowled a couple of astounding spells.