At times the credit for a team’s victory at times is not given to the correct player. At times a player who wins the crunch situations in the game is given more credit than the ones who finish the game. It is like how Gautam Gambhir was underrated in the ICC ODI World Cup Final as his performance was overshadowed by MSD’s thunderstorm innings. But staying under-rated and to keep doing your job is also an art. So, who are the criminally under-rated performers in this IPL 2022 season? Here is a look:
1) Deepak Hooda:
Deepak Hooda might not be contributing with the ball in hand but the Gujarati Superstar is certainly contributing with the bat. He had a few poor performances where every batter struggled but some of his performances have come in crunch situations. When his team was struggling in the very first game, Deepak held one end and scored a gritty 50. His batting has assured LSG that they can play him at number 3 and can pick an extra bowler. Deepak is one of the most improved cricketers in recent times and his performances in IP 2022 speak volumes of the same.
2) Rahul Tewatia is under-rated in IPL 2022:
Ever since his performance against Punjab in IPL 2020, Rahul Tewatia looked off-color but his redemption was yet to happen. Tewatia proved his value of over 8 Crore Indian Rupees, this season. The leg-spin bowling all-rounder was considered to be a bowling all-rounder but with this season almost coming to an end, we can say that Tewatia is a bankable batsman. The Gujarat Titans, a team that was considered to be the weakest team at the beginning of the IPL 2022 season has relied on Tewatia and he has won them 2 to 3 games. Tewatia has scored 179 runs at an average of 44 and a strike rate of 162!
3) Abhishek Sharma has been super under-rated in IPL 2022:
The opener of the Sunrisers Hyderabad has been criminally under-rated in IPL 2022. Abhishek was backed by SRH after having a delightful domestic season. He had a successful IPL long due and this looks to be his year. Abhishek has been elite with that willow in his hand. His game against the short-ball is a treat to watch. Just like his best friend Shubman Gill, Abhishek has assured dominance over the bowlers. His strike rate is hovering near 140 and he averages 36. Abhishek has taken the responsibility of giving SRH a good start. He has scored a cumulative 324 runs in 9 games.
4) T Natarajan:
T Natarajan has been overshadowed by the phenomenon called “Pace-Sensation Umran Malik”. But that doesn’t take any credit away from the amazing performances that he has done so far. Natarajan is one of the left-arm pacers who has been super impressive in the death overs. The thing that works well for Nattu is that he has a very precise yorker. His yorkers are laser-guided. Also, he has developed good pace-variation. His slower ball has become increasingly difficult to pick. Natarajan is ranked 3rd in the list of Purple Cap holders and he is the reason behind SRH’s success.
**Rahul Tripathi is not considered as there are talks around him getting an Indian National Team call-up.**
5) Arshdeep Singh:
This “Smashing Sardar” has been mighty impressive in the death overs for the Punjab Kings. His numbers might not show tremendous growth in the wickets column but if a bowler manages to keep the batsman silent in the death overs his job is more than done. Arshdeep belongs to the elite batch of Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw. He wasn’t the first-choice pacer but certainly is the closest to getting an India call-up from that batch of bowlers. His left-arm angle makes life hell for the batsmen. Arsh has had an economy of 6 in the death overs. Now those numbers are jaw-dropping.
To know more go to the official website of the IPL.