5 lesser known players discovered by Rajasthan Royals
“Wait what? Who? Someone Google that name.” That is a line often heard when the Rajasthan Royals trot out their lineups. It is one thing to lay your bets on a proven commodity. It takes deep pockets and strength of conviction to put most of your eggs (in this case your money) in one basket (in this case a star player, who you hope won't make you look like a basket case).Amongst all the big names going for massive amounts, Rajasthan Royals have built a reputation for finding gems out of nowhere. These unknown players present a low risk-high reward decision. Back the right horse and you can laud yourself as a Billy Beane (the man behind the moneyball concept in Baseball). Back the wrong horse and you hope that no one notices the unknown name on your roster, whom you can pass on as a work in progress.They’ve done this so often that they are even accused of being cheap by going for unproven players over more expensive players, while ignoring the fact that those gambles have paid off quite often for the Royals. It helps to have a man like Rahul Dravid in your side. Decisions which may be questioned when made by lesser mortals, draw no ripple in the sea of calmness inspired by Dravid.All these players have the Royals to thank for giving them their first big break on strength of which they attained future laurels. Every IPL brings with it an anticipation of which new face will the Royals unearth this year. One of the bright spots of the IPL was intended to be that it would give our players a platform to show their skills which otherwise may have been languished. The Royals fulfill that promise whole heartedly.Here is a look at 5 unknown players that have been discovered by Rajasthan Royals:
#1 Pravin Tambe
Pravin Tambe is the cricketing equivalent of Vince Papale, whose role was played by Mark Wahlberg in the Hollywood adaptation in the movie, Invincible. Wahlberg plays a 30-year-old teacher who gets a lucky break and becomes the oldest rookie in NFL history to have never played American football in college by playing for Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL. I hope Bollywood is taking notes. Pravin Tambe came out of obscurity, having never even played for his city, and he was selected by the Rajasthan Royals and made his IPL debut in 2013 at the tender age of 41.
He even worked occasionally as the liaison manager for IPL franchises visiting Mumbai. Pravin announced his arrival on the big stage with a bang, taking a hat-trick in two legal balls against KKR who seemed poised to march to victory until Pravin came along. He also finished with the most number of wickets in the Champions League in 2013. His story is undoubtedly among the top feel-good stories of the IPL and taking a chance on a 41-year-old player without a distinguished career just shows the tenacity of the Rajasthan Royals in picking diamonds out of the trough. Equal credit goes to Pravin for keeping his skills sharp regardless of his age.
"There is something about the Rajasthan Royals that makes me want to perform for them. This franchise gave me a chance to showcase my skills at a time when I hadn't even played a single first-class game," said Pravin. It was Rahul Dravid's keen eye and backing which enabled Pravin to make his debut. His work has surely paid off as the Royals used the Right to Match card to retain him in 2014.
A man who has never played the sport at a high level comes out of nowhere to make the winning play at a age when players are deemed to have been retired. Sounds familiar? Pravin Tambe's has given us our very own real life Invincible story. There Mark Wahlberg plays a thirty year old teacher whose life isn't headed for greatness, but through a lucky break he gets to try out for the Philadelphia Eagles, the NFL team, and he becomes the oldest rookie in NFL history to have never played football in college. This is based on the true story of Vince Papan.