The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy has been serving as an audition for the Indian Premier League auctions over the last few years. A lot of players have come up with sensational performances in the past few seasons, and then have gone on to earn a fortune at the auctions. It would be no different this season also as we saw a number of good performances from a lot of players. But let’s have a look at some new and underrated players who stood out, and could go on to earn a fat paycheck at the auctions.
Rohan Kadam
T20s: 20, Runs: 794, Avg: 49.62, SR: 130.37, 50s: 8
The Karnataka batsman has been a consistent performer at the domestic level over the years but he has taken his T20 game a notch higher in the last couple of seasons. Kadam is a well-known name in the Karnataka Premier League and he showed what he is capable of in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well, as he scored 258 runs at an average of 43 while batting in the middle-order. That included an important cameo of 39 runs in the final as well.
Virat Singh
T20s:56, Runs: 1552, Avg: 35.27, SR: 124.45, 50s: 10
The young batsman from Jharkhand ended as the tournament as their highest run-getter with 343 runs to his name at an excellent average of 57.16. He was one of the most consistent middle-order batters during the course of the tournament and his overall strike-rate of 142.32 during this period also suggested how he has developed his power-hitting abilities. The 21-year-old could be a highly sought after player for the franchises looking for good Indian batsmen.
R Sai Kishore
T20s: 22, Wickets: 25, Avg: 16.76, Eco: 5.4
The left-arm spinner has been a revelation this season for Tamil Nadu. Sai Kishore announced his arrival in the Tamil Nadu Premier League this year, where he impressed everyone with his powerplay bowling skills, and has carried his good form forward into the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy also as he ended the tournament as the highest wicket-taker with 20 scalps to his name in 12 matches and, that too, at a stunning economy rate of 4.63.