UP bowlers making waves in IPL 2022
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh cricketers have been making good contributions in the Indian Premier League for the last 15 years. Suresh Raina was the top star from the state so far with 5,528 runs and 25 wickets in his 205 matches. Except the current edition, where he failed to make any team, the veteran cricketer displayed his batting prowess in the cash-rich league in the past.
Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was the other cricketer from the state who could not make the cut this season despite having played 165 matches and taking 157 wickets since the inception of the tournament in 2008. Till 2016, veteran pacer RP Singh, too, had a major role in IPL with 90 wickets in 82 matches.
In the new season, leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav needs only one more wicket to erase his previous best haul of 17 wickets of 2018. Experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the second from UP on the bowling charts with nine wickets. His overall tally in the IPL is 151 wickets in 141 matches at an economy of 7.30.
But the pick of the new season from Uttar Pradesh is left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan from Sambhal, who has taken eight wickets in four matches with the best economy rate of 6.07. Making his debut in IPL for the Lucknow Super Giants, the pacer has been doing wonders. His four-wicket haul was key in LSG’s thrilling six-run win against Delhi Capitals on Sunday night.
The pacer, who was with Mumbai Indians from 2018 to 2020, was picked by LSG for Rs 20 lakh at this year’s auction. Once LSG set up a winning target of 196 for the Rishabh Pantled Delhi Capitals, the young Mohsin executed team’s plan well, forcing Prithvi Shaw up front in the chase with short deliveries aimed at his body. Later, he also altered his pace and length and dismissed David Warner, Rishabh Pant, Rovman Powell and Shardul Thakur to deny Capitals a win.
Mohsin made his IPL debut in the first match of the league in Lucknow. In this match, he bowled only two overs conceding 18 runs, but failed to get a wicket. In the next match, he gave 27 runs by taking one wicket. But almost a month later on Friday, Lucknow Super Giants gave him a chance once again and this time he lived up to the expectations.
He also showed his skills with the willow, hitting 13 runs in six balls, which included a four and a six. Playing for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket, Khan has featured in 17 List A matches with 26 wickets to his name at an average of 20.92. His economy rate stands at 5.15. In 28 T20s, he has taken 34 wickets at 20.08 and an economy rate of 7.11.
“He (Khan) has been a special talent from Uttar Pradesh. His high-arm action, which allows a bowler to keep his deliveries on good spots, makes him quite smart in this “fatafat” format of the game,” former India cricketer and UP Ranji Trophy coach Gyanendra Pandey said on Monday. “It’s a good that a number of young pacers, including Yash Dayal, from the state have been making their presence felt at the IPL this season. I am sure that they would form a strong UP side when the knockout matches of the Ranji Trophy begin after the IPL,” said Pandey.
Kudeep Yadav leads the bowlers’ table from UP with 17 wickets so far. He is followed by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Mohsin Khan. Pacer Shivam Mavi has taken three wickets in four matches for the Kolkata Knight Riders at an economy of 10.29. Another left-arm pacer Yash Dayal has done well for Gujarat Titans, bagging seven wickets in four matches at an economy of 9.13. In his only match in the IPL this season so far, left-hander Rinku Singh scored 35 runs for KKR, whereas keeper-batter Aryan Juyal (Mumbai Indians), Dhruv Jurel (Rajasthan Royals), Priyam Garg (Sunrisers Hyderabad), pacer Kartik Tyagi (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Ankit Rajpoot and batter Karan Sharma (both from Lucknow Super Giants) are yet to play even a single match.*