Year after year, the Indian Premier League surprises us with some audacious talent that rises amidst the mix of international and domestic players.
Considering the current Indian circuit as an example, the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya are products of this amusing league.
It is not just restricted to the Indian national side, but even the overseas nations have benefitted from the availability of their players in the cash-rich league. Players such as Marco Jansen, Tristan Stubbs, Moises Henriques, Jofra Archer, etc were scouted by the IPL franchises even before they represented their national sides.
Let us glance through the most runs garnered by an uncapped player in an IPL season.
#5 Suryakumar Yadav (IPL 2020)
The year was 2020 and Suryakumar Yadav was knocking at the door of the national selectors. It was due to his consistent run in the Indian domestic circuit and in IPL for years. The flamboyant batter notched up 480 runs in 15 matches for the Mumbai Indians in the 13th edition of the IPL. He averaged 40.0 and batted with a strike rate of 145.02 in the season.
The right-hander’s unbeaten innings of 79 runs off 47 balls and 79 runs off 43 balls helped the Mumbai Indians to register a victory against the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively.
He also had the upper hand in Qualifier 1 of the tournament against Delhi Capitals with a gritty innings of 51 runs off 38 balls. Mumbai Indians clinched their fifth title in IPL 2020 and Yadav was one of their mainstays. Post his heroics, he went on to make his International debut in March 2021.
#4 Suryakumar Yadav (IPL 2018)
Suryakumar Yadav receives applause from his teammates
Right after Suryakumar Yadav was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2017, the Mumbai Indians bagged him in the IPL 2018 auction for INR 3.20 Cr. Despite leading Kolkata Knight Riders in a few Champions League T20 matches, the Mumbai batter didn’t have a great record playing for the two-time champions.
When Yadav donned the Mumbai jersey, it felt like a different person batting in the venues. The batter who was known for his sweeps and slog sweeps, perfected an array of shots around the ground.
He went on to stockpile 512 runs from 14 matches in 2018. This was one of the editions of IPL where the Ambani-owned franchise failed to reach the playoffs amidst their dominant run from 2010- 2020.
#3 Ishan Kishan (IPL 2020)
Known by the term ‘pocket dynamite’, Ishan Kishan is one of those rare exciting T20 players that comes from the Eastern part of India. He had his breakthrough with Gujarat Lions under the leadership of Suresh Raina in the year 2017.
The southpaw was roped in by the Mumbai Indians in the IPL auction 2018 for INR 6.20 Cr. Despite a topsy-turvy turn in the first two years for the most successful franchise in the history of IPL, he was retained for his potential. Eventually, the decision paid off as Kishan blasted off 515 runs in 13 matches in IPL 2020.
The glitterati league was staged in UAE amidst the coronavirus scare. Kishan blistered with a 99 runs knock from 58 balls in MI’s season opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He and Kieron Pollard went on to turn the table for MI, which went down the wire to a super over which was ultimately won by the Royal Challengers.
Kishan amassed four half-centuries in the season and was one of the mainstays in the middle order alongside Suryakumar Yadav. Eventually, MI went on to bucket their fifth title.
#2 Shaun Marsh (IPL 2008)
Shaun Marsh scored 616 runs in 11 matches
Australian batter, Shaun Marsh struck 616 runs from 11 matches in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. He caressed runs with an average of 68.44 and a strike rate that saw 139.68.
The southpaw was bought for a bargain price of INR 12 lakh in the 2008 IPL auction by Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). The franchise went on to represent the semi-finals of the inaugural season of the mega-event but failed to defeat Chennai Super Kings in the semi-final.
The special thing about Marsh is that the left-hander represented in IPL even before dawning the national jersey of Australia. Post his heroics for the Preity Zinta-owned franchise, the top-order batter was selected for his national team for the West Indies ODI and T20 series.
He held the record for most runs by an uncapped player in an IPL edition for 15 years before Yashasvi Jaiswal breached the feat.
#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal
The next Indian prodigy, Yashasvi Jaiswal had a season to remember in IPL 2023 for the Rajasthan Royals. The left-handed batter went on to script his name in the record books after piling the most runs by an uncapped player in a season of IPL.
The southpaw smashed 625 runs in 14 innings which includes a mesmerising century against Mumbai Indians at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. He raced away to 124 runs from just 62 balls.
Another mastermind knock came from the bat of Yashasvi against the Kolkata Knight Riders in the historic Eden Gardens at the business end of the tournament. His berserk unbeaten innings of 98 runs off 47 balls helped the Royals secure a victory in an important phase of the tournament.
The left-handed batter had an inspirational journey in the IPL. He is an example to cite for the phrase- from rags to riches. Rajasthan Royals is his first-ever team in the IPL and was pocketed in the 2020 IPL auction for INR 2.40 Cr.
Although the franchise failed to reach the playoffs, Yashasvi had his moments in IPL 2023. He averaged 48.08 with the bat and owned the opposition bowlers with a strike rate of 163.61. Also, the elegant batter piled up 25.84% of his team’s runs.
