Bowlers outscore Batsmen among Indian domestic Players in IPL

Indian Premier League (IPL) largely dominated by players of international ranks is a domestic tournament with greater international flavor and appeal. Twent20 - a format projected as that of youngsters, oldies like Anil Kumble, Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist outscore youngsters. On the contrary it not without quality contribution from fringe Indian domestic players a team can win matches on a given day.

Proving their worth in the big league with their striking performances in alien conditions were a few Indian domestic players. However, one can note that bowlers have dominated the list as you can expect in South African conditions with only Manish Pandey, Naman Ojha and TS Suman being the batsmen to shine. BehindIndia has decided to list out the top 11 such players (in no particular order) and their performances during the second season of IPL in South Africa.

Manish Pandey (Age: 19, Bangalore Royal Challengers)

Matches: 5 Inns: 4 Runs: 168 Avg: 84.00 S/R: 142.37 Best Performance: 114*

The 19-year old arrived on big stage after being a part of the Under-19 World Cup winning Indian team in 2008. Although he got his chances in the far end of the tournament, Manish made the most of his opportunity to carve a niche for himself. His elevation to the top of the order allowed him to play his natural game and he took everyone by surprise with his blistering century against Deccan Chargers in the last league match. He showed maturity in handling big match situation by not panicking during his 48-run knock in the semi-final against Chennai. He is a sharp fielder too. Definitely a good prospect as it won’t be too long before he turns up in India colors.

Pradeep Sangwan (Age: 18, Delhi Daredevils)

Matches: 13 Overs: 46.4 Runs: 360 Wkts: 15 Econ: 7.71 Best Performance: 3/18

Sangwan was India’s strike bowler in the Under-19 World Cup after which he was picked up by Daredevils. He continued his impressive work from the first IPL season into the second. He was successful in proving breakthroughs in times of need throughout the tournament. He proved to be an effective first change bowler.

T S Suman (Age: 25, Deccan Chargers)

Matches: 12 Inns: 12 Runs: 237 Avg: 23.70 S/R:124.73
Overs: 15 Runs: 108 Wkts: 5 Econ: 8.00 Best Performance: 41* & 3/32

The Hyderabad player Suman was one of the big finds of this IPL. An aggressive player by nature, Suman provided cameos at the top and helped his team by breaking partnerships with his tidy off-spin.

Vinay Kumar (Age: 25, Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Matches: 11 Overs: 32.2 Runs: 271 Wkts: 9 Econ: 8.38 Best Performance: 2/30

The spearhead of the Karnataka team, Vinay Kumar made a big leap with an inspiring performance for Royal Challengers with smart depth bowling throughout the tournament. As in case of any bowler who bowls in the final stages Vinay too had good variations in pace and was effective in using bouncers as well.

Harmeet Singh (Age: 21, Deccan Chargers)

Matches: 7 Overs: 22.5 Runs: 192 Wkts: 3 Econ: 8.40 Best Performance: 2/23

A new face in domestic circuit, Harmeet didn’t do much throughout the tournament being the fifth bowler; however he played a significant role in the all crucial final. He stuck to the basics, bowled a good line and length without any experimentation and was rightly rewarded with the big wickets of Rahul Dravid and Mark Boucher thereby turning the match on his head. He also picked up a well judged catch running in from the third-man area to dismiss Vinay Kumar – a dismissal that sealed Bangalore’s fate in the final stages of the match.

Amit Singh (Age: 28, Rajasthan Royals)

Matches: 5 Overs: 17.3 Runs: 95 Wkts: 9 Econ: 5.42 Best Performance: 4/19

Amit was extremely impressive with his disciplined bowling with greater consistency in his line. He often managed to beat the batsmen with his variation in speed as he picked up two man-of-the-match awards for two 4-wicket hauls. He also successfully overcame the challenge of suspected bowling action. Playing for Gujarat, Amit has an impressive first-class record of 45 wickets in 15 matches.

Kamran Khan (Age: 18, Rajasthan Royals)

Matches: 5 Overs: 17.4 Runs: 124 Wkts: 6 Econ: 7.01 Best Performance: 3/18

IPL is known to though up new talents but the case of Kamran Khan is more fascinating. He was picked from obscurity by Darren Berry, the team’s director of coaching, in a T20 tournament in Mumbai. The young lad managed to impress his captain Shane Warne in the warm-up match and since then it has been a fairytale story bar being reported for suspected action. He was trusted with the responsibility of bowling the final over with six runs required and Sourav Ganguly on strike. He managed an edge of Sourav’s bat thereby taking the match to a ‘Super Over’. Again trusted with confidence of the captain, Kamran bowled a historical ‘Super Over’!

Shabad Jakati (Age: 28, Chennai Super Kings)

Matches: 9 Overs: 29 Runs: 217 Wkts: 13 Econ: 7.48 Best Performance: 4/22

The left-arm spinner from Goa is at last coming of age after toiling hard in domestic circuit for nearly a decade. He was given a chance to play for Chennai Super Kings after some good showing in the 2008 domestic season and he delivered the goods in his very first match itself by picking four wickets. He was consistently proving breakthroughs and a useful tail-ender as well.

Sudeep Tyagi (Age: 21, Chennai Super Kings)

Matches: 8 Overs: 19 Runs: 136 Wkts: 5 Econ: 7.15 Best Performance: 2/18
Tyagi was picked up by Chennai last year after impressive debut season but missed the inaugural IPL due to injury. However, he has made amends for his absence last year with some striking performances this season. Tyagi was economical most of the times and paired up well with Albie Morkel in operating the new ball. He provided early breakthroughs match after match and his first ball bowled of AB DeVillers will be an everlasting memory.

Rajat Bhatia (Age: 29, Delhi Daredevils)

Matches: 8 Overs: 21.4 Runs: 146 Wkts: 10 Econ: 6.73 Best Performance: 4/15

Bhatia is a veteran in domestic circuit and was aptly utilized by captain Virender Sehwag. Though being an all-rounder Bhatia was used more as a specialist depth bowler and he did the job with perfection every time he was handled the responsibility. His variation in pace and accuracy made everyone spellbound.

Naman Ojha (Age: 25, Rajasthan Royals)

Matches: 8 Inns: 6 Runs: 168 Avg: 24.00 S/R: 116.66 Best Performance: 68 Catches: 2 Stumping: 4

Trusted with responsibility of opening the batting with Graeme Smith, Ojha exceeded expectations scoring quick runs and taking away the pressure on Smith. He was consistent with the bat and was sharp behind the stumps. Being a small chap, he was able to clear the ropes with ease.