The ongoing Indian T20 League 2022 has seen a lot of action and drama and thus, has managed to entertain the fans already. Successful teams such as Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata were languishing at the bottom of the table. On the other hand, teams such as Rajasthan, Lucknow, Gujarat, and Bangalore have qualified for the playoffs.
Just like the unexpected teams making it to the playoffs, players who didn’t carry too many expectations have done well. These players have helped their sides win the game out of losing situations. It is safe to say that these individuals are the reasons why their teams were at the top of the table. In this listicle, we will discuss three players who have surprisingly done well in the 15th season.
Players who have exceeded the expectations
1. Rahul Tewatia
The designated finisher of the Gujarat team wasn’t expected to do well given his performances last season. Also, the team was criticized for buying him for INR 9 crore. However, he has justified the same with quite a few match-winning knocks in the lower-middle order. In the 15 games, the left-hander has played so far, he has scored 217 runs averaging 31 and striking at 147.62. He has exceeded the expectations and the team has now qualified for the final.
2. Shahbaz Ahmed
The bowling all-rounder had only 13 games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons for Bangalore. In these seasons, he took nine wickets in these game, while only scored 60 runs with the bat at an average of 8.42. However, this year, he has played the role of a batting all-rounder to perfection. He has won a few games for the Bangalore-based franchise. With the bat, the left-hander has scored 207 runs in 14 games averaging 25.88 and striking at 119.65. On the other hand, his bowling average has gone up to 66.50 citing lack of bowling in the season.
3. Ayush Badoni
The youngster was bought by Lucknow during the auction earlier this year. He wasn’t expected to make a name for himself as many people felt that he wouldn’t have got a chance to feature in the XI. However, after playing 13 games, he has scored 161 runs averaging 20.13 and striking at 123.85. However, most of the runs came in the initial half of the season. With time, he was assessed by the teams and they found out that he loves playing too much on the leg-side. Since then, he hasn’t been able to carry on with the initial brilliances. Nevertheless, the right-hander has shown his potential, and can be prospect for the national team if he keeps on improving on his game.
