9. YUZVENDRA CHAHAL (RCB)
(Pic Source: BCCI/IPL)
From being a chess prodigy who represented India in theUnder-12 World Youth Chess Championship in Greece in 2003 to earning a call-up into the Indian cricket team 13 years later, Yuzvendra Chahal has indeed come a long way. Representing the clan that was once expected to be hunted, the wily leg-spinner has now become the hunter. Chahal proved to be a vital cog in the wheel for Virat Kohli’s team as he picked up 21 wickets from 13 games at an average of 19.09 and a decent economy rate of 8.15. What’s most impressive about Chahal’srecent upswing is the fact that he played most of his games at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a ground where the bowlers are generally thrown in the kitchen sink by rival batsmen. Bowling largely on RCB’s home ground, he returned an economy rate of 8.15 which by modern standards could be deemed highly commendable. Having outfoxed opposition batsmen on numerous occasions over the course of the tournament, his ability to provide crucial breakthroughs made him the ‘blue-eyed boy’ of captain Kohli. Purchased for his base price of Rs. 10 lakh at the 2014 IPL auction, the 25-year old leg spinner from Haryana will attract lot of eyeballs whenIndia will tour Zimbabwe for a limited-overs series in June under the captaincy of M.S Dhoni.
Stats- Matches 13, Overs 49.1, Wickets 21, BBM 4/25, Bowl. Avg.- 19.09, Eco.- 8.15.
