The first week of cricket’s carnival – Indian Premier League 2021 – is done and dusted and we have witnessed some impressive performances. The big stars have delivered but the greenhorn Indian players, who often go under the radar for their performance, have also been the cynosure of all eyes with their renditions.
We take a look at eight uncapped Indian players who impressed in the first week of IPL 2021.
1. Harshal Patel – Royal Challengers Bangalore’s medium pacer Harshal Patel has been designated the role of a death bowler by the team and the player from Haryana, has grabbed his chance with both hands. Patel became the first bowler in the IPL history to scalp a five-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians and he has impressed with his slower delivery as well as his accuracy to hit the blockhole consistently.
Patel has thus far snared seven wickets in the two matches he has played and he is currently the Purple cap holder.
2. Nitish Rana – Kolkata Knight Riders opener Nitish Rana has been a consistent performer in the IPL in the last few seasons. The left-hander scored 80 runs off 56 balls against SRH and then followed it with another impressive knock of 57 runs against MI. The left-hander has scored a total of 137 runs and he is currently the Orange cap holder of the season.
3. Shahbaz Ahmed – RCB’s Shahbaz Ahmed played an instrumental role in turning the match on its head against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The left-arm spinner was given the ball in the 17th over by Virat Kohli and he returned with three wickets of Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey and Abdul Samad to turn the tables for RCB. Ahmed has bowled with an average of seven and played a key role in RCB’s win against SRH.
4. Chetan Sakariya – Rajasthan Royals’ Chetan Sakariya made an impressive debut against Punjab Kings as he scalped three wickets and conceded only 31 runs in his quota of four overs when the rest of the bowlers took a beating. Sakariya then bowled another economical spell against Delhi Capitals and has impressed with his change of pace. The left-arm pacer from Saurashtra also has the ability to nail the yorker with consistency.
5. Arshdeep Singh – Punjab Kings’ pacer Arshdeep Singh had to defend 13 runs against Rajasthan Royals in the team’s opening game of the season. Singh had a daunting task as Sanju Samson was going all guns blazing however the left-armer from Punjab was able to keep his calm and took his team over the line by four runs. Arshdeep has scalped four wickets in two matches at an average of 10.50.
6. Avesh Khan – Delhi Capitals’ fast bowler Avesh Khan has also impressed with his line, length and pace. Khan had scalped two wickets against CSK, including the big one of MS Dhoni and then returned with three wickets against Rajasthan Royals. The right-arm pacer has snared five wickets in two matches at an average of 11.
7. Shahrukh Khan – Punjab Kings’ power-hitter Shahrukh Khan has also impressed with his pyrotechnics. Khan was the lone warrior for his team against Chennai Super Kings as he scored 47 runs from 36 balls and took his team’s total past 100. Khan showed that he can hit the long boundaries and he can play a crucial role for PBKS in this season.
8. Deepak Hooda – Punjab Kings’ Deepak Hooda was at his absolute best in the team’s opening clash against Rajasthan Royals. Hooda smashed 64 runs off just 28 balls as he was able to hit the ground running. The right-hander took the RR bowlers to cleaners and impressed with his power-hitting.
