Top 5 Indian debutants in IPL 2015
One of the biggest USPs of the IPL is the opportunity that it provides to the young Indian players, previously unknown, to rise from the lower rungs of domestic cricket to the international stage. Over the years, we have seen plenty of young names making their mark on one of the biggest platforms in world cricket and some have even went on to play for the Indian national team courtesy of some stellar IPL performances.
This season was no different as we witnessed more such players spread across different franchisees. So here are 5 Indian debutants who impressed us the most this year:
5. Sarfaraz Khan
This 17-year old young man made jaws drop with his blistering 45 runs of 21 balls against the Rajasthan Royals, and some even went to the extent of comparing him with a 16-year old Sachin Tendulkar smashing Waqar Younis for boundaries more than 25 years ago.
After having an impressive outing at the U-19 World Cup, the Royal Challengers Bangalore had picked him up, making him the youngest player to be signed at the 2015 auctions.
|
Matches |
Innings |
Runs |
50s |
HS |
SR |
Average |
4s/6s |
|
11 |
6 |
79 |
0 |
45* |
160.22 |
26.33 |
8/2 |
4. Hardik Pandya
Playing for Mumbai Indians, this 21-year old impressed everyone with his calm demeanour, which reflects in his composed batting style. However, when his team requires him to hit quick-fire innings, Pandya steps up to do the job, as he did against Chennai Super Kings when he played a blinder of 21 runs from 8 balls.
Many domestic players and coaches have deemed Hardik as “the one to watch out for”. Clearly, he has shown glimpses of his genius in IPL 2015.
|
Matches |
Innings |
Runs |
50s |
HS |
SR |
Average |
4/6s |
|
7 |
6 |
111 |
1 |
61* |
191.37 |
37.00 |
9/8 |
3. Dominic Joseph Muthuswami
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Made his debut at the age of 34 This 34-year-old bowler from Pune was a tennis-ball cricketer till as late as about 2011. Used to bowling in almost empty stadiums in first-class matches, Joseph played his first big match in Delhi’s first IPL match against Chennai Super Kings, in a jam-packed Chepauk stadium.
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Bowling to MS Dhoni, one of the greatest finishers of the shorter formats, and that too in the death overs is perhaps scariest ways to start an IPL career. But Joseph managed to concede just one run in the 17th over, bowling to Dhoni along with a wicket. His performance impressed not only his teammates, but also the world cup-winning captain-coach combo of MS and Gary Kirsten.
|
Matches |
BBI |
Wickets |
Runs |
Economy |
Maidens |
|
6 |
2/18 |
4 |
101 |
7.21 |
0 |