IPL 2020: Five Best Finds Of The Tournament

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a massive platform where young talents get the much-needed platform to express themselves freely and prove what they are capable of. Since its inception 12 years ago, the IPL has nurtured some of the raw talents successfully around the globe to provide the international teams with a new dimension. It has ended up turning their lives around.

Not only the cricketers have ensured themselves being in the radar for international selection, but also their livelihoods get a whole lot better. The opportunity of playing with top-notch cricketers and learning continuously for them keeps increasing their skill level and preparing for them sturdy challenges ahead. Hence, the introduction of extravaganza has given birth to several new names announcing themselves to the world in style.

We take a look at five finds of IPL 2020 as it came to a close:

Shivam Mavi:

Shivam Mavi announced himself as one of the promising quick bowlers for India in the next few years to follow. Shivam Mavi bowled with skill and precision for the Kolkata Knight Riders, sharing the new ball with Pat Cummins and often creating early inroads for the other bowlers to capitalize.

The 21-year old gained enough seam movement in the initial overs to ask challenging questions to the batsmen. In eight matches, Shivam Mavi picked up nine wickets, which was a sharp improvement from the 2018 season of five scalps in nine games. If the youngster could manage his injuries efficiently, his rise could be hard to stop.

Devdutt Padikkal:

Devdutt Padikkal was the only other batsman apart from Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers to be significantly amongst the runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Devdutt Padikkal often provided brisk starts to the Royal Challengers while opening with his elegant and vivid stroke play. As a left-handed batsman, Padikkal was beautiful to watch.

The 20-year old accumulated 473 runs in 15 matches at 31.53 with a decent strike rate of 124.80. Padikkal struck five fifties in the tournament and his 473 runs are the highest in an IPL edition by an uncapped player. Devdutt Padikkal will indeed be a crucial cog in the Royal Challengers’ set-up in the coming years as the hunt for their maiden title continues.

Rahul Tewatia:

The inconsistent batting displays by Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020 helped unearth Rahul Tewatia’s jaw-dropping potential. Rahul Tewatia’s skill with the bat came into light when his fifty scripted the highest run-chase ever in IPL against Kings XI Punjab this year. That Tewatia bounced back in style from his initial struggles during that knock and after being written off by the commentators was a sight to behold.

The 27-year old was not only magnificent by his standards with the bat but also outstanding in the field and with the ball. Tewatia scored 255 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 139.34 and snapped ten wickets in the 13th edition of the extravaganza. The Royals have a gifted all-rounder in their ranks, who will only get better with time. Nevertheless, the other players need to support him better to bounce back from an underwhelming IPL 2020.

Varun Chakravarthy:

Varun Chakravarthy was lucky to receive a bid from Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2020 auction, considering his poor performance in 2019 for Kings XI Punjab. But Varun Chakravarthy was no longer that rookie spinner and proved that he is cut out for top-level cricket. The leg-spinner was often the go-to bowler for the Knight Riders.

He claimed 17 wickets from 13 matches at 20.94 and maintained an economy rate of 6.85 along with a fifer. He massively cut out the scoring areas for batsmen with his googlies and wrong’un and threatened almost all the time to dismiss them. The performance in IPL 2020 also earned him an India call-up; however, due to an injury, he would be unable to travel.

T Natarajan:

T Natarajan stepped up at the correct time when SunRisers Hyderabad needed someone to compensate for their pace spearhead, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. T Natarajan was part of Kings XI Punjab; however, could not earn enough opportunities with them and SunRisers Hyderabad gave him that lifeline.

The left-arm seamer delivered more than 40 yorkers in the tournament, the highest by any bowler in IPL 2020. He became a yorker machine with time as captain David Warner found himself fortunate to have such a talent. Varun Chakravarthy’s injury earned Natarajan a maiden India call-up after taking 16 wickets in 16 games in IPL 2020. It would indeed be a treat to watch the left-arm seamer.

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