The sixth season of the IPL has reached its business end and the big boys are all set to fight it out for the coveted trophy. The likes of Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Michael Hussey, and Shikhar Dhawan ruled the roost in the league stages with others putting up their best supporting acts for their respective teams. But, like everything in life, the exciting of the IPL also has a flip side to it.
While it does not take much to recall Gayle's 175* or Raina's 100 and 99*, we all have effortlessly pushed back the memories of a certain Paul Valthaty and Shadab Jakati. Here is Cricketnext's compilation of a playing XI of those who shot to fame and came into the limelight in previous seasons of the IPL but were accommodated as bench-warmers this season.
1. Paul Valthaty: The only notable cricketing credential the 29-year-old had to his name before the IPL was he being part of India's Under-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2002. Originally drafted in by Rajasthan Royals in 2009, Valthaty turned a few heads in 2011 for Kings XI Punjab when he raced to a 63-ball 120 against a formidable Chennai Super Kings. With minimal foot movement and a hit-and-miss ploy, he was looked at as a one-match wonder. Valthaty, though, put up strong shows by hitting a 47-ball 75, 31-ball 46 and taking 4 for 29. Eventually his purple patch came to an end and Valthaty
08:27 AM, May 22, 2013
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