IPL 2021: 3 uncapped players who had a good season
The real identity of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has always been that it provides a stage for young and unknown talented players to showcase their skills. The IPL has been one of the main reasons for the incredible depth in India's talent pool.
At times, the IPL is considered to be all about the glamor and star-studded players that feature for different franchises. But in reality, it is the success stories of a number of individuals coming from humble backgrounds that make this cash-rich league one of the best in the world.
3 uncapped players who had a memorable IPL 2021
Although the IPL 2021 season was unfortunately suspended just halfway through due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were some tremendous performances by youngsters who made the most of the limited opportunities that came their way.
On that note, let's have a look at the three uncapped players who had a great IPL season:
#3 Chetan Sakariya
Just days before the completion of the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Saurashtra pacer Chetan Sakariya lost his younger brother, who committed suicide. An incredibly difficult loss to overcome, 22-year-old received the welcome news that he was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL 2021 auction for INR 1.2 crore.
This amount was huge for someone whose father was a tempo driver and had to work day in day out to make ends meet for his family. His journey to the IPL was already one of the biggest stories in the spotlight and everyone was eager to see what the left-armer had in his repertoire.
Sakariya flew out of the blocks in the IPL 2021 season right from game one for RR, picking up three wickets. He was impressive with his wide range of variations and was the go-to bowler for skipper Sanju Samson.
The 22-year-old picked up seven scalps in as many games for RR in the IPL 2021, at a decent economy of 8.22. A genuine wicket-taker, RR know they have a future star on their hands in the form of Sakariya.
#2 Avesh Khan
The Delhi Capitals (DC) had a plethora of experienced fast bowling options in the Indian as well as overseas departments. Instead of backing experienced Indian pacers like Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav, the DC think tank unleashed young Madhya Pradesh pacer Avesh Khan.
Avesh Khan made his name as a promising pacer in the 2016 U19 World Cup for India. But with his teammates Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan, etc. getting the recognition they deserved, the 24-year-old didn't get the consistent rope.
However, he was patient, waited for his chances and pounced on it with both hands. In just 8 games, Avesh picked up an incredible 14 wickets at a brilliant economy of 7.70.
Be it in the powerplay, middle-overs or at the death, Avesh was brilliant with his line and length and was difficult for the batsmen to put away. He was one of the main reasons why DC were at the top of the table when IPL 2021 was suspended. The pacer will have a crucial role to play if the IPL resumes later this year.
#1 Harshal Patel
No other story has been quite as astonishing as the rise of Harshal Patel in the IPL 2021 season. By no means a youngster, the 30-year-old has been around the domestic circuit for a while and played quite a few IPL games.
Harshal Patel was traded in by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) from DC and was identified as one of the main death bowling options for Virat Kohli and his men. The 30-year-old was right on the money from the get-go as he became the first bowler to pick up a fifer against the Mumbai Indians in IPL history.
In nearly every game, Patel had an incredible impact and he made RCB one of the best bowling attacks at the death in IPL 2021. Although he went for quite a lot of runs in a couple of games, his overall display was brilliant and kept RCB in the top four.
In 7 games, Harshal picked up an amazing 17 wickets and was well on his way to winning the Purple Cap. If the IPL 2021 resumes later this year, he could well be the defining factor in RCB winning their maiden IPL title.