Cricket News
Five forgotten faces of the Indian T20 League
Not all the players who perform well in the Indian T20 League go on to play for India.
The Indian T20 League is the perfect platform for youngsters to come into the limelight. There have been several players whose incredible performances in the league have found them a place in the Indian team as well. However, not all the players who perform well in the tournament meet the same fate.
The league has given many stars over the years but most of them have gone into oblivion. On that note, let’s take a look at five such players who got out of the limelight after their initial heroics in the league.
- Paul Valthaty:
Paul Valthaty: (Image Source: Twitter)
Paul Valthaty made his debut in the Indian T20 League in the second season as he played for the Rajasthan franchise. But he came into the limelight playing for the Punjab Franchise in the 2011 season. He scored a magnificent 120 off 63 balls against the Chennai franchise which was also the highest individual score of the season.
Valthaty was also handy with the ball and picked some wickets for his franchise. However, post that season his career was marred by poor performances and injuries. Following the initial good run, the player just faded away and lost his contract after the 2013 season.
2. Manvinder Bisla:
Manvinder Bisla: (Image Source: Twitter)
Bisla is still remembered for his incredible knock in the final of the 2012 season where he scored 89 off 48 balls and guided the Kolkata franchise to seal their first-ever title. He had a good season in 2012 and had tremendous potential to be the next cricketing star.
However, the batter couldn’t replicate his marvellous performance in the final which eventually led him to lose his contract after 2015. He played 39 matches in the tournament in his career and scored 798 runs which included four fifties. He was last seen playing in an official match way back in 2017.
3. Rahul Sharma:
Rahul Sharma: (Image Source: Twitter)
Rahul Sharma burst onto the scene as a lethal leg spinner who could pick wickets at crucial stages of the game. He even went on to represent India in four ODIs and two T20Is. His impactful performances for the Pune Franchise in 2011 impressed the Indian selectors.
His career went downhill when he was caught consuming drugs at a rave party. The wrist-spinner went out of the limelight after his initial heroics and was never seen playing for India again. Currently, he plays regularly in inter-district level cricket.
4. Manpreet Gony:
Manpreet Gony: (Image Source: Twitter)
Manpreet Gony emerged as the X-factor of the Chennai franchise in the first-ever season of the Indian T20 League. Gony was a right-arm pacer who had the ability to bowl at a decent pace. He was the leading wicket-taker for the Chennai franchise in the first-ever season of the Indian T20 League. He even got a chance to play for India courtesy of his remarkable performances.
Gony was later on released by the Chennai franchise as he failed to emulate his initial performances. His last appearance in the competition happened in 2017 when he played for the Gujarat Franchise. In 2019, he decided to bid adieu to international cricket and opted to play T20 leagues as a freelance cricketer.
5. Swapnil Asnodkar:
Swapnil: (Image Source: Twitter)
Asnodkar was a brilliant opener from Goa who burst onto the scene in the first season of the Indian T20 League. He used to open with Graeme Smith for the Rajasthan franchise in the first season of the competition. He played two seasons for the franchise and then went unsold in the 2010 auction.
He never got picked in any of the auctions again. He played 20 games in the league and scored 423 runs at an acceptable average of 21.15 with a strike rate of 124.78. He was involved in many memorable opening partnerships with Graeme Smith. He was named the coach of the Goa Under-23 team in 2019.
