The five most pleasant surprises of the IPL 6 so far

It is often hard to fathom why the IPL continues to maintain and simultaneously increase its popularity over the years even though a significant proportion of people consider it to be a commercialized overdose of Twenty20. The most probable answer I think is the unpredictability it offers in terms of content over a period of two months or so.

Let’s face it – we all know that Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga are going to be among the top five contenders for the Orange and Purple Caps respectively. But for every Gayle there is an Ajinkya Rahane and for every Malinga there is a Harmeet Singh lurking around somewhere in the wings. Despite its mercenary nature, the IPL has managed to throw up quite a few players over the years who have often gone from total obscurity to national fame. We take a look at five players who have managed to surprise the pundits this year so far.

Mandeep Singh – Not many people would have believed it if you told them that a young Turk would be topping the Kings XI batting averages ahead of the likes of Adam Gilchrist, David Hussey and David Miller. But Mandeep Singh has done that and – wait for it – this is the second year in a row when he is topping the charts for his IPL team. IPL has thrown up a lot of one season wonders but Mandeep is slowly but surely proving that he is not joining their ranks.

The fact that he has got so many runs is not surprising but the way he has done it is – with a level of maturity far beyond his age. You don’t expect a 21-year-old opener chasing 9 runs an over to hold up one end and let a middle order batsman take a larger share of the strike. You definitely do not expect the same 21-year-old to bring a sense of calm and serenity to the proceedings after your captain has failed for the umpteenth time in the tournament.

Yet, Mandeep has done that and more. Apart from that innings against Pune Warriors, his 41 against KKR in a second wicket partnership with Manan Vohra ensured a turnaround after the early dismissal of Gilchrist. There might not be too many slots open in the Indian batting order currently but it shouldn’t be long before Mandeep forces the selectors to create one for himself.

Manvinder Bisla – You are not supposed to walk out to bat and thump the ball to all corners of the ground in a match-winning knock of 89 after the two time champions have set a target of 190 plus in their own backyard. But that’s what Manvinder Bisla did in last year’s IPL final. You are definitely not supposed to do an encore. But Bisla almost did one – chasing 201 against the same team at the same venue (albeit in a league match), he thwacked the ball to all parts of the stadium and brought the equation down to 25 off 11 before his run-out changed the course of the match.

Last year’s heroics did not afford him a fairytale start this season. After five matches, Bisla was averaging 6.80 with four innings of 4 or less. He was dropped and when that did not change the team’s fortunes, he made a comeback. He responded with an unbeaten 51 against the Kings XI followed by his highest Twenty20 score against Chennai.

Coming from someone who has played for the Plate Group teams, Himachal Pradesh and Goa, for the greater part of his career, you can say it is no mean feat to be counted upon as a batting bulwark by the defending champions. At one moment, you are facing the weakest of the Indian domestic bowling attacks on benign surfaces; the other, you are facing the likes of Dirk Nannes and Dwayne Bravo in front of hostile crowds egging them on. A place in the national team looks bleak but Bisla has earned more than his spot in his sun for the Knight Riders.

KB Arun Karthik – It is a tough age for wicket-keepers. If you keep well and can’t bat, you are a liability; if you can bat well and keep for a bit, it is considered to be an asset. Yet, Arun Karthik has managed to hold his own in a team which has the wicket-keeper from the numero uno Test team of the world along with another player who has kept wickets for his national team.

Karthik played a total of 4 matches for the Royal Challengers over the last two seasons but it was his last ball six which took Bangalore to the semifinals of the Champions League and brought him to the limelight. For that effort or otherwise, he was awarded a full time spot in the RCB starting XI.

So far, he has paid his just dues by topping the list of dismissals made by a wicketkeeper in this season so far. He shares the highest rate of dismissals per innings for anyone who has kept in more than 5 matches with Adam Gilchrist so far. Along with MS Dhoni, he is the only keeper to have 2 stumpings in the tournament so far. Unfortunately, wicket-keeping performances do not cause a lot of eyelids to bat, so Karthik will have to be content with the satisfaction of playing more or less a behind-the-scenes role.

Kevon Cooper – The usual suspects from the Caribbean (Gayle and Narine) have already lit up the IPL so far but their lesser known comrades are not far behind. Some like Kevon Cooper have slowly but surely made their presence felt for the “small fry” – the supposedly second tier teams of the IPL.

Cooper played 6 matches last season and was good enough to pick up 10 wickets. An encore was definitely not on the cards as he is not the most threatening of bowlers even in a Rajasthan bowling attack which does not have too many big names. But Cooper had other ideas in mind.

First he stifled an on-the-cards Delhi chase with three crucial wickets in their own den as they ended up five runs short of what Rajasthan had managed in the first innings. Then at the Royals’ fortress, he and Trivedi ripped the heart out of a Kolkata chase on a responsive surface, defending a low score of 144 in the attempt. After 2 matches, Cooper had 6 wickets but no Man of the Match Awards to show for it.

Since then his tournament has tapered off a bit – he conceded over 40 in both his last attempts against the Super Kings and the Sunrisers. Nevertheless, the IPL is far from over and teams wouldn’t want to underestimate Kevon Cooper. He is at his most dangerous when taken for granted.

Mohit Sharma – Apart from their long list of acknowledged laurels, Chennai Super Kings have thrown up a couple of fast/medium-fast bowling talents over the years in the form of Manpreet Gony, Sudeep Tyagi and Yo Mahesh amongst others. The latest to join the list is Mohit Sharma from Haryana.

Admittedly, Mohit was coming off a good domestic season – 37 wickets in 8 matches – but he had no prior experience of Twenty20 at the domestic level. He bowled 2 overs for 13 runs in his debut match but it was in his second match when he sparkled. After the Super Kings had posted 169, Mohit knocked the stuffing out of the Delhi batting line-up by accounting for Warner, Sehwag and Juneja in a spell of 3 for 10.

The best part of his bowling is that even if he does not pick up wickets, he does not go for runs in the process. Mohit is joint fourth (along with Shahbaz Nadeem) in the list of most economical bowlers who have picked up 6 wickets or more. It is a proud achievement, for the list is headed by the likes of Dale Steyn, Sunil Narine and James Faulkner. An India spot is a bit far off in the reckoning, but at least Mohit has made the right noises so far.