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5 Underrated Players in IPL 2020 | 5 Players who have exceeded expectations in Indian Premier League 2020 | Who are the underrated players in IPL?

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A little over two weeks into IPL 2020, and we can firmly opinionate that the tournament has lived up to the billing and has met, or to be fair, exceeded our expectations. In these gloomy times of the pandemic, the IPL has given immense joy to all and at least for a while has made us forget the problems around us.

Such is the year, it has continued to throw up surprises as perennial underachievers Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals are at the top of the table, while the 3-time champions Chennai Super Kings are languishing towards the bottom of the table with just two wins in six matches.

In the fortnight gone by, a few players have been the surprise package of the tournament, and have held their nerve to take the team over the line. However, they weren’t rated as prime match-winners of their respective franchises before the tournament began but their success so far has been heartwarming for the fans of the lucrative league. We take a look at five underrated players of IPL 2020.

1. Mayank Agarwal

Few would have predicted Mayank Agarwal’s name to be towards the top of the chart in the most runs category 21 matches into the tournament. With 272 runs in five innings, including a century against Rajasthan Royals, Agarwal has been one of the best performers of IPL 2020 and arguably the most valuable player so far. He has scored just over one-third of KXIP’s runs so far in the IPL 2020.

The Karnataka batsman has finally set the IPL on fire. After being with his local franchise RCB in the initial years, he plied his trade for the Delhi Daredevils and Rising Pune Supergiant but never really announced his arrival. Before a decent season in 2019 where he scored 332 runs, his best tally in an IPL season was 225 runs way back in 2012. In spite of being successful in the domestic circuit and later setting the international stage on fire, Agarwal wasn’t as successful in the IPL.

Before the season, there were calls from some corners to play Gayle in the opening slot and push Agarwal down to 3. But KXIP persisted with the dynamic batsman and the results are here to see. If Mayank builds on the platform he has laid for himself in the early stages of the tournament, an Orange Cap won’t come as a surprise.

2. Ravi Bishnoi

The next person in our list is Mayank’s KXIP teammate Ravi Bishnoi. Bishnoi was one of the players to watch out for in this edition of the IPL 2020, but just like Mayank his place in the side depended on the foreign combination KXIP were going to opt for.

Bishnoi has been the most consistent bowler for KXIP and the second-most economical bowler with an ER of 7.90. He started off on a scintillating note against the Delhi Capitals with 1/22 and has been KL Rahul’s go-to bowler in the games gone by.

If KXIP is to resurrect their campaign, Bishnoi has to play a major role for the franchise. They need to win at least six matches in their remaining nine matches and Bishnoi will hope that he plays in the playoff stages.

3. Washington Sundar

One of the vital cogs in RCB’s set up in the tournament so far has been Washington Sundar. He wasn’t a certainty in the RCB line-up prior to the tournament as there was a lot of competition for his slot. RCB had the option of playing Pawan Negi or Shahbaz Ahmed as the spin-bowling all-rounder, with Moeen Ali playing as an off-spinner.

But the limited overseas slots meant that Moeen Ali missed out and Sundar came into the XI.

He bowled just the three overs in the first two games, conceding just the 20 runs. Once Virat Kohli started giving the ball to Sundar he has been exceptional, with figures of 1/12, 0/20, and 0/20. He has arrested the momentum of the opposition in the powerplay.

Sundar will also be a crucial part of RCB’s batting in the upcoming matches and if the franchise hopes to do well in the tournament, Sundar should maintain his form with the ball.

4. Kamlesh Nagarkoti

Kamlesh Nagarkoti’s comeback has been one of the heartwarming stories of this year’s IPL. After battling injury problems for more than a couple of years, the young Indian pacer is finally back on the field, post two surgeries.

Nagarkoti rose to fame post the U-19 World Cup 2018 in New Zealand where he was instrumental in India’s win. Post that he spent most of his time at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, but the Kolkata Knight Riders retained him through this tough phase. However, there were clouds over his bowling performance ahead of this edition, but he has picked four wickets in four games, he has been impressive with his line and length.

5. T Natarajan

Over the years, the IPL has had a lot of stories of players from underprivileged backgrounds performing well in the lucrative league. One such player is T Natarajan. The left-arm pacer has been lethal with the yorkers in this year’s IPL.

Natarajan has picked five wickets in as many games so far including the prized scalped of Indian captain Virat Kohli in the match against RCB. He attracted eyeballs with his consistent yorkers against the Delhi Capitals and since then he has become a key component for SRH’s death bowling plans.

He wasnt expected to start for SRH with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul and Basil Thampi in the squad. But his magnificent performances coupled with Bhuvneshwar’s thigh injury, which unfortunately rules him out of the tournament, makes Natarajan a crucial part of the Sunriser’s plans in the remaining part of the tournament as the race to playoff heats up.

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.