The Indian Premier League (IPL) has produced some of India’s greatest talents over the years. Over the years, fans have witnessed some of the best knocks at the T20 level in this tournament, with the league getting bigger and better over the last 15 years.
However, there are also some players who have not been able to live up to their hype, restrained by personal reasons or injury constraints. Here, we look at five such players and where they are now.
Paul Valthaty (Kings XI Punjab)
Paul Valthaty established himself as a rising star in the 2011 KXIP side when he scored 463 runs in 14 matches at a rate of 136.98 and averaged 35.61 as the season progressed. He smashed a blistering 120* against Chennai Super Kings, shining alongside players like Adam Gilchrist and David Hussey. He also picked up seven wickets. Unfortunately, Valthaty could not keep the same level of consistency in the next edition of the tournament.
He last featured against Hyderabad in 2013, with the 38-year-old last for his employer Air India in 2014. More recently, he was in the commentary box, doing Hindi commentary for Sony Sports during India’s tour of Zimbabwe in 2022.
Swapnil Asnodkar (Rajasthan Royals)
The ‘Goan Cannon’, Swapnil Asnodkar played a key role in helping the Rajasthan Royals beat CSK in the IPL 2008 final. He impressed then Rajasthan skipper, late Shane Warne, and went on to score 311 runs in nine games, batting at a strike rate of 133.47 and averaging 34.95 per game. He played his last IPL match in 2011 and was a prominent feature in Goa’s Ranji team since 2001. During the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy season, he was the leading run-scorer for Goa with 369 runs in six matches.
He now plies his trade as a coach after 17 years with the Goa team. Most recently, he played in the 2022 Legends League Cricket tournament.
Manvinder Bisla (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Manvinder Bisla began his IPL career with the erstwhile Deccan Chargers in 2009. But his best showing came in the IPL, with two-time winners KKR, whom he represented from 2011-2014. During the 2013 season, he scored 255 runs from 14 matches. His heroics in the 2012 final helped Kolkata clinch their first-ever trophy but he could not replicate these performances.
He now regularly plays in the legends league tournament in and outside India. He is also a cricket mentor and broadcaster and started the MB Cricket Academy in Gurgaon (Delhi NCR).
Manpreet Gony (Chennai Super Kings)
Another 'future star of Indian cricket', Manpreet Gony was the leading wicket-taker for finalists CSK in the first IPL season. With 17 wickets in 16 matches, he was also the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the league. These strong performances led to a senior team call-up but Gony only managed two wickets for India.
After a few appearances for the Deccan Chargers, KXIP and the now-defunct Gujarat Lions, he played his last IPL match against KKR in 2017 and retired from domestic cricket in 2020. He was last seen alongside Yuvraj Singh in the Canada T20 League and was also drafted into the Bangladesh Premier League but remained unpicked.
Kamran Khan (Rajasthan Royals)
While every player in this list has featured in more than two seasons of the IPL, Kamran Khan is the pick of the bunch as he has literally played only two seasons, including the 2009 season in South Africa. He was nicknamed ‘Tornado’ by Warne and was also a match-winner in a Super Over in the 2009 season where he dismissed Kolkata's Chris Gayle. Although he bagged just six wickets in five matches, including 3/18, his bowling was impressive.
But soon, his bowling action was deemed suspicious and he was sent to Australia to work on his action but could not find the same form again. He represented the defunct Pune team for three matches of the 2010 edition, with his last appearances coming against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
He now plays regularly for local leagues after making his First Class debut with the Colts Cricket Club in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
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