IPL 2020 auction: 3 forgotten stars of the league
As the auction day for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 nears, the excitement level just keeps building up. The fact that a total of 971 players from across the globe have registered for the 73 slots available proves how much the high-profile, cash-rich league is in demand.
Over the years, the IPL has made overnight heroes out of relatively unknown cricketers from India. Fame in the day and age of T20 can be quite fickle though. While the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah have progressed from the IPL level to make it big on the international stage, many others faltered after reaching there. A few couldn’t even get as far, and stumbled away from the limelight in the same tournament that brought them recognition.
Also see – Ranji points table
With another round of the bidding war, the IPL 2020 auction, all set to be held in Kolkata on December 19, we look back at 3 forgotten stars of the tournament from previous years.
#3 Manpreet Gony
One of the early shining stars of the IPL, the well-built Manpreet Gony was an instant success as a pace bowler for Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2008. In fact, he was the leading wicket-taker for CSK with 17 wickets, his hit-the-deck style unsettling a lot of batsmen.
The impressive performances even earned him an India debut the same year, as he turned out in 2 matches of the Asia Cup. He had figures of 0/11 against Hong Kong and 2 for 65 against Bangladesh, the latter turning out to be his last international appearance.
At the IPL level as well, Gony could not replicate his performance from his maiden season. Playing for Kings XI Punjab against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2013, he smashed 42 off 18 balls at a strike rate of 233. That was about it though. He was picked by Gujarat Lions in 2017, but played only one match, his last appearance in the tournament.