Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
5 Indian Seamers to Watch Out For in IPL 2020 | Indian pacers who can make a strong impact in the IPL 2020 season
The Indian Premier League returns to action on Saturday as it is the repeat of last year’s final between the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at Abu Dhabi. After the lucrative league was postponed during the usual summer window, it’s finally time for cricket’s gargantuan carnival to return on our TV screens.
Over the past decade, the eight-team league has gifted a lot of talent to Indian cricket and some of the fast bowlers have also made their mark in the IPL. Ahead of the upcoming season, here are some of the Indian pacers to watch out for as we list out a few reasons why they are worth keeping an eye on.
1. Jasprit Bumrah
Expectedly, the first person in our list is India’s ace pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah. After making his debut in 2013, Bumrah has been a vital cog of the Mumbai Indians set up which has won four titles in the last seven years. He was the leading wicket-taker for MI in IPL 2019, with 19 wickets at an economy rate of 6.63 and was the man of the match in the Final against CSK.
Although Malinga missed the IPL in 2016 and 2018, Bumrah was never the leader of the MI bowling attack. Now, in MI’s quest to defend the title, Bumrah will have to lead the attack, especially in the death overs in place of Malinga who has pulled out of the tournament.
Bumrah was injured in the latter half of the 2019 and wasn’t as impressive as the standards he has set on his return. Post the enforced COVID-19 break, MI will hope that Bumrah is back to his best. It will be interesting to see how things pan out for Bumrah in the next 50 days.
2. Deepak Chahar
Next on our list is another India regular, Deepak Chahar. Like Bumrah, Chahar too was injured before the COVID-19 break and was aiming to make a comeback in the 2020 edition. However, after the team reached the UAE, the pacer tested positive for the virus and was quarantined for a week. Fortunately, he recovered and will be available to play in the opening game against the Mumbai Indians.
In the 2019 edition, Chahar was the leading wicket-taker among pacers for CSK with 22 wickets and was also the tournament’s leading wicket-taker in the powerplay phase. With the T20 World Cup postponed to 2021, the Indian team may try new bowlers and Chahar has to make sure that he is retained in the Indian T20 team.
3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Another bowler who has faced persistent injury issues over the past 18 months has been Bhuvneshwar Kumar. This season, the SRH bowler has a chance to prove his mettle and put the disappointment of the last two seasons behind him, where he took only 22 wickets in 28 matches.
SRH will hope that on the slowish tracks in UAE, Kumar comes good and will be a lethal force in the death overs like he was 2016 and 2017 IPLs where he won the Purple Cap.
In regards to the Indian team, Kumar has slipped down the pecking order in the recent past, and he will use his experience to make a comeback in the upcoming edition of the tournament.
4. Kamlesh Nagarkoti
Kamlesh Nagarkoti’s name in this list may come as a surprise to few, but it won’t be to those who saw him trouble batsman with his raw pace and accuracy in the 2018 U-19 World Cup.
Since then, life has been cruel for the young pacer as he underwent a couple of ankle surgeries. His takers in the 2018 IPL auction, Kolkata Knight Riders, have persisted with him in this journey and hopefully, Nagarkoti will make his debut and will be a regular feature in KKR’s XI in the 2020 IPL.
Kamlesh Nagarkoti is touted by many as a future India prospect and this year’s IPL will be crucial to the pacer’s future.
5. Prasidh Krishna
The last name, also an uncapped Indian bowler, is Prasidh Krishna. Krishna has shown glimpses of his potential in the past for KKR but is yet to have a successful IPL in entirety.
Krishna announced his arrival with a bang in the 2018 edition with 10 wickets in seven matches but he took only four wickets in 11 matches in 2019. However, he also has had his share of injuries in the past year or so and will be aiming to make a comeback.
Last year, Kohli mentioned Krishna’s name as someone who could have been a wildcard in T20 World Cup in Australia. Can Krishna knock the door down on an Indian call-up?
So, there are five key Indian seamers to watch out for in their respective franchises. Who else do you think could make a significant impact?
Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.
