These five players have staked a claim for a spot in the Indian team with amazing performances in IPL 2021.
IPL 2021: Shifting the IPL tournament to Delhi and Ahmedabad led to bio-bubble breach - Reports
Apart from this, the ground staff of the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi tested positive for the virus and it became too much for the BCCI and the IPL GC and they were forced to suspend the tournament. They also arranged for the foreign players to return to their homes via chartered flights safely.
However, in the 29 matches that were played in the IPL 2021, there were many performers with both the bat and the ball in the first half of the tournament.
Therefore Team COC presents 5 uncapped Indians who impressed in the first half of the IPL 2021
RUTURAJ GAIKWAD (CSK)
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Ruturaj Gaikwad didn’t have the best of the starts as he made scores of 5,5, and 10 in the first three matches of the tournament. However, MS Dhoni showed trust in the Maharashtra batsman and he replied with two half-centuries.
He made 64 against Kolkata Knight Riders and then smacked 75 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad as Chennai Super Kings are second on the points table with 5 wins in 7 matches with 10 points. Gaikwad made a total of 196 runs in 7 matches with a strike rate of 128.94 and an average of 28.
AVESH KHAN (DC)
However, Avesh played all the 8 matches that DC played and returned with 14 wickets for them at an economy of 7.70 and the best bowling of 3/32 against the Rajasthan Royals. Apart from that, the hearty thing to see was that Avesh was hitting speeds of 140 kph and above easily.
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He was hitting the deck hard and also got the ball to move off the pitch as well. He got big wickets like that of MS Dhoni. He was thus rewarded with a place in the Indian squad for the England tour as one of the reserve players for the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the five-match Test series against England.
DEVDUTT PADIKKAL (RCB)
Padikkal slammed his maiden IPL century, hitting 101* in just 52 balls with 11 fours and 6 sixes, as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 10 wickets in Mumbai. He has 195 runs in 6 matches at a strike rate of 152.34.
Many thought he was unlucky not to be a part of the Indian squad for the UK tour. But his exploits in the IPL and the domestic circuit may get him his India debut as they are slated to tour Sri Lanka for three ODIS and three T20Is in July.
CHETAN SAKARIYA (RR)
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He bowled well with the new ball at the start and came back with effectiveness in the death overs also. Apart from this, he was coming into the tournament on the back of a huge personal tragedy, as he had lost his brother a few weeks before the IPL 2021 auction.
Sakariya showed terrific variations getting the new ball to move and swing while bowling slower balls and yorkers at will with the old ball in death overs. He will be a great asset for the RR team when the IPL 2021 resumes and a huge attraction in the possible mega auction in 2022.
HARSHAL PATEL (RCB)
Harshal, who was playing his 8th season in the IPL, was tasked by the RCB management to bowl in the second half of the innings, in the death overs. Patel returned with a performance of a lifetime, picking 17 wickets in 7 matches at an economy of 9.17 with the best bowling of 5/27.
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His five-wicket haul was the first-ever against the Mumbai Indians team in the IPL history and Harshal very deservedly holds the purple cap for the most wickets in the IPL 2021 thus far.