IPL 2022: 3 players who surprised fans in Week 7 of the competition
The seventh week of IPL 2022 featured many interesting moments. Gujarat Titans (GT) registered two back-to-back wins to cement their place at the top of the points table, while Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) suffered two consecutive defeats to slip out of the top two.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) now have a tight grip over second position in the IPL 2022 points table. On the other hand, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are in a competition to avoid the wooden spoon.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), Punjab Kings (PBKS), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are competing for a spot in the IPL playoffs as the results of the seventh week of IPL 2022 have opened up the points table.
Speaking of Week No. 7, there were some players who took the fans aback with their performances in IPL 2022. Here's a list of the top three players who surprised the fans with their performances.
#1 Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal has achieved much success as an opener for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last two IPL seasons. Fans were surprised when Rajasthan Royals pushed him down to the No. 4 position to accommodate Yashasvi Jaiswal in the playing XI.
After a few failures, Padikkal proved himself to be a versatile batter last week by playing two important knocks for the Jaipur-based franchise. He scored a game-changing 18-ball 39 against the Lucknow Super Giants after a crucial 48-run knock against the Delhi Capitals.
His strike rate surprised fans because he majorly took advantage of powerplay overs in the past, but in RR colors, he scored runs quickly in the middle overs as well last week.
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#2 Ravichandran Ashwin
Rajasthan Royals raised many eyebrows when they decided to use Ravichandran Ashwin as a No. 3 batter in IPL 2022. But Ashwin proved that he can bat well at the top of the order by registering his maiden IPL half-century against the Delhi Capitals.
Ashwin scored 50 runs off 38 deliveries, smashing four fours and two sixes. He stabilized the innings with Devdutt Padikkal after the openers failed to give the Rajasthan Royals a flying start.
The 53-run third-wicket partnership between Ashwin and Padikkal helped RR finish with a 160-run total on the board.
#3 Matheesha Pathirana
Nicknamed Junior Malinga, Chennai Super Kings' Matheesha Pathirana made his IPL debut last week against the Gujarat Titans. Pathirana made history by becoming the first uncapped Sri Lankan cricketer to play an IPL match.
The youngster impressed straightaway by trapping an in-form Shubman Gill in front of his stumps with a perfect yorker to start his IPL career.
In the same match, Pathirana dismissed Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya caught out to complete his two-wicket haul. He received special praise from MS Dhoni, who said after the match:
"He is an excellent death bowler, much like (Lasith) Malinga. With that slingy action, he has got much more margin of error is slim. Even if he commits an error of one yard or so, it won't get up and come on to the bat. With that extra second to watch the ball, it will be difficult to hit him consistently."
It will be interesting to see how Pathirana performs in Chennai's next match against the Rajasthan Royals on May 20.