The tenth edition of the Indian Premier League is less than 10 days away, and fans are understandably kicked about it. While we gear up to watch the much-awaited tournament, here’s a look at players from Karnataka who are a part of IPL this season…
Royal Challengers Bangalore
KL Rahul: This 24-year-old batsman has high hopes pinned on him. After displaying his bombaat batting skills in the Test series against Australia, this Mangaluru huduga is a force to watch out for.
“He can give a big boost to RCB. With his international exposure, he now knows how to place himself and how every bowler bowls,” says cricket buff Harsha P.
Sreenath Aarvind: This Karnataka bowler is a well-known face in the domestic cricket circuit, and has contributed effectively to the team last season. Let’s hope he ‘delivers’ greatly this time.
Stuart Binny: An all-rounder who has been a part of his home team since last year, we’re looking forward to some great performances from Binny Jr.
Praveen Dubey: This 23-year-old leg-spinner shone in the KPL previously.
“Karnataka has a lot of talent and some of them have the capacity to become future stars. Hope the young players make a mark,” adds Harsha.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Robin Uthappa: This lad from Kodagu, has been part of KKR’s batting line-up since 2014, a year in which he proved his mettle by making 40 runs or more in ten successive innings. It’s time to see if this Uthappa will turn out to be bisi bisi this season!
Robin Uthappa
Manish Pandey: This explosive batsman made a record by becoming the first Indian to score a century in the IPL when he was just 19. He filled in for captain Vinay Kumar in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Will he be able to create some magic for the Knights?
Manish Pandey
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Abhimanyu Mithun: While this bowler didn’t get to play any game for SRH last year, he was retained this year by the team.
Rising Pune Supergiants
Mayank Agarwal: This middle-order batsman who was playing for Delhi earlier is with Pune now. While he didn’t have a great run at DD, he’s been displaying his superb skills at the domestic games.
Delhi Daredevils
Karun Nair: After enthralling us with a magnificent triple ton against England in December, this Malayali boy is currently playing the Ind-Aus Test series. “With the international experience he’s got in the recent past, he will be a batsman to watch out for,” says IPL aficionado T Vishnu.
Karun Nair
Mumbai Indians
Shreyas Gopal: This all-rounder got to play only one IPL match each during the last two seasons. Here’s hoping the FAPS alumnus gets more chances in 2017.
Krishnappa Gowtham: This 28-year-old played for Karnataka after a three-year hiatus and shone in the 2016-17 Ranji season. Known as Bhajji in local circles, he was bought for a whopping Rs 2 crore by MI. “He managed to impress with the bat at a warm up game against Australia recently. He is a hot favourite in the domestic circuit. I put my trust on him,” says student Sanjay S.
Vinay Kumar: This experienced player, also known as Davanagere Express, has captained our State team to Ranji title wins previously and has been with MI since 2015.
J Suchith: An all-rounder, this Mysuru lad is a left-arm spinner who can throw his bat around in the latter stages of the game.
Gujarat Lions
Shivil Kaushik: This lanky lad made news last year, thanks to his uncanny bowling style. Having played for Hubli Tigers in KPL, this chinaman bowler will be showcasing his Paul Adams-like style for team Gujarat.
Kings XI Punjab
KC Kariappa: This youngster from Coorg was bought for a mammoth 2.4 crore by KKR two years ago. As someone who’s displayed his talent in the KPL, we hope he’ll be able to make a difference to Team Punjab now.
