IPL 2021: One-season wonders who fizzled out after lighting up the league

The Indian Premier League (IPL), since its inception in 2008, has proven to be the perfect platform for youngsters, both domestic and international, to showcase their talent and make a name for themselves in the cricketing fraternity. Over the years, the cash-rich league has given cricket some great players, who have shown their worth on the international platform. Some consolidated on their performances while the others could not and were dubbed as one-season wonders.

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As we wait for the cricketing carnival to start on April 9, here’s a quick run down of the players who faded away just after one season.

1. Paul Valthathy

It was 2011 when Paul Valthathy rose through the ranks. Valthathy, in his initial days, represented Rajasthan Royals from 2009-2010. However, it was with Kings XI Punjab, now Punjab Kings, that Valthathy let his bat do the talking and he hogged the limelight with his sublime guile. He ended the tournament with 483 runs – the highest run-getter for that season.

He was retained by the Punjab-based franchise for the following two seasons but poor performances saw him fall out of favour. He remains the biggest IPL disappointment.

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2. Manvinder Bisla

The Punjab batsman started his IPL journey in 2009 when he was roped in by now-defunct Deccan Chargers. Until 2011, Bisla couldn’t make headlines but his time with Kolkata Knight Riders from 2011 to 2014 made him into one of the primary mainstays. His whirlwind 89-run knock propelled KKR to register a famous victory against Chennai Super Kings in 2012 final.

Bisla was only beginning to culminate into a brute force but after being bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore, it went downhill for the right-handed batsman. Owing to poor performances, he lost his place in the playing XI. That was it. He remained unsold in 2016 and 2017.

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3. Rahul Sharma:

One of the better young leg-spinners, Rahul Sharma plied with Deccan Chargers before he went on to represent Pune Warriors India. He shot to fame when he dismissed India cricket great Sachin Tendulkar in his debut season in 2011. He ended the tournament with 13 wickets from 14 matches. Following this, he received a national team call-up and represented India in four ODIs and two T20Is.

His international or domestic came to an abrupt end when he was detained at a party in Mumbai and tested positive for narcotics.

4. Swapnil Asnodkar

Swapnil Asnodkar took the inaugural season of the IPL by storm, scoring 311 runs from nine matches at an average of 34.55 and a strike rate of over 133. Playing for the Rajasthan Royals, the young batsman was a nightmare for the opposition and made for a deadly combo with former South African captain Graeme Smith. The duo scored 418 runs at 59.71 in the tournament, which in turn helped the then Shane Warne-led team to lift the prestigious title. Asnodkar played for 3 more seasons, unable to go back to his initial form, Asnodkar faded into oblivion.

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5. Manpreet Gony

Manpreet Gony possessed all the qualities that a fast bowler should have – tall, strong built and broad shoulders. Having played the IPL for Chennai Super Kings in 2008, Gony picked 17 wickets in 16 games. He even received a national team call-up on the back of his fiery bowling performance. He played two ODIs for India before his slump.

Despite playing the IPL for 7 more seasons, Gony could not just hit the right spot and eventually lost his place in the tournament.

6. Kamran Khan

For Kamran, it was a tale of rags to riches. Son of a woodcutter, Kamran played for the Rajasthan Royals in his debut season in 2009. A left-arm pacer, Kamran was called for his bowling action – chucking. Despite correcting his bowling action, he only played a few matches in the T20 league for the now-defunct Pune Warriors in 2011. Following this, he failed to bag any more IPL contracts.