(Cricket news) Every year plenty of overseas players make their debut in the IPL and then play for their respective nations based on the performances in the league. The IPL is one tournament where the biggest of names play, however, what makes the league exceptional is every year there is some debutant who manages to capture everyone's imagination by taking on the seasoned pros. Let us take a look at this years overseas debutants
1) Chamika Karunaratne (Kolkata Knight Riders)
The Sri Lankan all-rounder ever since he made his debut has impressed everyone whenever he has played and that was the biggest reason behind him being picked by KKR for a base price of Rs 50 lakh only, which could be a bargain buy in the future. Karunaratne is a proper fast bowling all rounder who can perform in all three departments of the game and mainly has the experience of finishing matches for Sri Lanka in the past. If Andre Russell gets injured, then Karunaratne will be a natural replacement. Karunaratne is a very underrated bowler as he can bamboozle the batters with his strong slower deliveries and in the IPL especially in the death when the batters are going for it, the slower ball is the best option to bowl.
2) Dushmantha Chameera (Lucknow Supergiants)
Chameera was bought by Lucknow SuperGiants for Rs 2 crore and one of the biggest reasons the LSG franchise went all out for the Sri Lankan pacers is because of the qualities he brings to the table as a quick bowler. Chameera is quite deceptive with his pace and he can beat the batters with pace as well as his slower balls. At the death, he’s a deadly sniper, bowling the yorker at will and along with being a good fast bowler he packs a few hefty blows at the end also with his bat as time and time again he has bailed Sri Lanka from precarious positions.
3) Dewald Brevis (Mumbai Indians)
Dewald Brevis took the world by storm when he had set the U19 World Cup on fire after scoring 506 runs. Labelled as Baby ABD, Brevis already has the attention of the world and one needs to see if he can actually live up to all the hype and excitement behind him. He was bought for whopping Rs 3 crore, the right-handed batter would be looking to bat at his favoured position of number 3 but the fact that only four foreigners are allowed to play makes it difficult for to straight away enter the playing XI but he's very young, the youngster might just be one for the future.
4) Odeon Smith (Punjab Kings)
Odeon Smith lit the third match of season with a blistering 25* off 8 balls to guide his side chase a mammoth target of 205 quite comfortably. Odeon Smith came into the limelight recently in the series against India as he showed the world that however big the boundaries he can hit the ball very far and no boundary is enough to sustain the batter. The right-handed batter has the experience of finishing T20I games for West Indies and this has already come in handy for Punjab Kings this season. He was bought for Rs 6 crore and along with Shahrukh Khan, with the duties of finisher as well as make important breakthroughs with his fast bowling. Someone who idolises Andre Russell's game is certainly moving in the right direction and it could be some exciting times for the Punjab fans.
5) Rovman Powell (Delhi Capitals)
In January, Rovam Powell smashed an unbelievable century against England in a T20I game and he hammered all the bowlers but what was wonderful about this innings was he read the situation really well and took control of the game. He was previously bought by KKR but never really got a game because of Dr Russ but now with age and maturity he’s become a mainstay for the West Indies team. He is a power-hitter and on his day he can take down any bowler at his own will. DC bought him for Rs 2.8 crore, as Ricky Ponting will hope that his all round skills come in handy and give DC that much needed batting all rounder that they have been searching for a long time
6) Bhanuka Rajapaska ( Punjab Kings)
The swashbuckling left hander from Sri Lanka lit the tournament with a blistering innings of 43 from just 22 deliveries, showing the Sri Lankan selectors what they have been missing. Bhanuka was recently overlooked by the Sri Lankan selectors for the India series for apparently not being match fit but he just showed the mental temperament and big hitting skills he possesses. Bought for his base price of 50 Lakhs in the mega auction, many raised an eyebrow considering the 30-year-old has played 18 T20Is for Sri Lanka and has scored 320 runs at an ordinary average of 26.67 but he brings ample of experience playing in the different leagues in especially in the subcontinent.
7) Romario Shepherd (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Sunrisers Hyderabad shelled out a massive 7.75 cr to buy Romario Shepherd as many teams were interested in him but ultimately SRH got their man. He came into the limelight after the Caribbean Premier League where he was not only a good T20 bowler, but he proved his batting abilities in the CPL 2021. For Guyana Amazon Warriors, he scalped 18 wickets in 7 games at 7.69, with a batting strike-rate of 165.15. He single handedly won some really tough games for the Warriors as a finisher. In overall T20s, Shepherd has scalped 55 wickets in 47 games, whereas he has scored 344 runs at a strike-rate of 159.25. In the recently concluded England vs West Indies series, he won a game on his own with his death bowling and explosive batting
8) Kyle Mayers (Lucknow Supergiants)
The latest left handed power hitter Kyle Mayers is making quite a name for himself in the international circuit with some impressive performances against some big teams around the world. The 29 year old averages over 40 and has a strike rate of over 150 in T20’s as Mayers has only played 4 T20s for West Indies which indicates that he’s relatively inexperienced in T20 cricket but if given the opportunity to play he will know that a good performance will mean that he will cement that opening slot for the West Indies team heading into the World Cup. Coming into the IPL, he will be in rich vein of form as he single handedly bowled England to make his country win a historic series.
Also read: Top 5 all rounders to watch out in the upcoming Tata IPL 2022
