<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Nitish-Rana-4.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-135892" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Nitish-Rana-4.jpg" alt="Nitish Rana" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-135892" class="wp-caption-text">Nitish Rana. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

The 2017 edition of IPL was the most special amongst all the seasons so far as the league completed its 10 years. To mark the wonderful occasion, there were some astonishing performances from the Indian as well as overseas players. Most of the matches were closely contested and there was still no certainty about the four teams that would qualify for the playoffs until the last day of the league stage.

Now that the league stage is done and dusted, it gives us a chance to reflect on what transpired in the first part of the tournament. Just like every other season, this one also produced some new talents on the big platform. There were a few who stood out as surprise players as the cricketing world hadn&#8217;t witnessed what they were capable of. Those players came to the limelights with outstanding performances and became overnight stars.

Here is a look at the top 5 surprise players of the league stage:

Mumbai Indians have been known to possess a settled batting line-up over the years and to break into that squad for a young batsman is extremely difficult. But a lesser-known Nitish Rana literally owned a place in the side with his consistent batting show. From the beginning, he was asked to bat at number 3 and the left-hander made that place his own for the most part of the league. He scored 333 runs in 13 matches at an average of 30.27 that also included 3 half-centuries.

In the earlier part of the season, the MI skipper Rohit Sharma was struggling for runs and the experts suggested that he should bat higher up the order. But Rana&#8217;s consistent scores ensured that Rohit&#8217;s lack of form didn&#8217;t impact the team&#8217;s results. He played several crucial knocks that helped the team chase down totals and gave them the momentum from the beginning of the league. At one stage, he was also holding the Orange Cap for being the leading run-scorer.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/05/Rahul-Tripathi-IPL.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-141562" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rahul-Tripathi-IPL.jpg" alt="Rahul Tripathi of Rising Pune Supergiants" width="640" height="401" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-141562" class="wp-caption-text">Rahul Tripathi. (Photo: IANS)</figcaption>

Rising Pune Supergiant had a terrible season last year where they finished second from the bottom and were in a dire need of a revival in the 10th edition. This year, they completely turned the tables and ended up being number 2 on the points table after the league stage. One of the reasons why they did so well was the selection of Rahul Tripathi. The right-hander was an unknown commodity at the IPL arena but he came to the fore big time.

He was bought by the franchise for just INR 10 Lakh and he proved to be much more than his money&#8217;s worth. In 13 innings, he amassed 388 runs with 2 half-centuries, one of them being a score of 93. He provided the dashing starts which is evident from the strike rate of 149.81. His partner Ajinkya Rahane was woefully out of touch during the league stage but Tripathi more than filled in for him.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Jaydev-Unadkat-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-140114" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Jaydev-Unadkat-1.jpg" alt="Jaydev Unadkat" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-140114" class="wp-caption-text">Jaydev Unadkat. (Photo: IANS)</figcaption>

One of the reasons why Rising Pune Supergiant failed miserably last year was the absence of a reliable fast bowler. This year too, apart from Ben Stokes, they didn&#8217;t have a big name in the bowling line-up. But Jaydev Unadkat raised his performances a few notches and ended up being the most successful bowler for his side. He picked up 21 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 13.29 and a strike rate of 10.81. After the league stage, he was the second highest wicket-taker only behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Although the left-hander is not new at the IPL stage and has played several games before and also represented India in international cricket yet he wasn&#8217;t known to bowl this well in the shortest format of the game. He was a completely different bowler this year and played a key role in the success of RPS. His best performance came against Sunrisers Hyderabad where he bagged figures of 30/5 in 4 overs and also claimed a hattrick in that game.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Rashid-Khan-3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-139427" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rashid-Khan-3.jpg" alt="Rashid Khan Sunrisers Hyderabad" width="640" height="430" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-139427" class="wp-caption-text">Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Sunrisers Hyderabad made a surprise move when they spent a whopping INR 4 crore for purchasing the Afghan leg-spinner &#8211; Rashid Khan. He was known for troubling the batsmen of associate nations while representing Afghanistan but it was the first time he was going to bowl against the top quality international batsmen. Rashid did complete justice to his price tag and showed that he is totally capable of competing with the bests.

He bagged 17 wickets in 13 matches at an economy of just 6.67. He was holding the Purple Cap at one stage for being the leading run-getter before his teammate Bhuvneshwar Kumar overtook him. He showed great variations in bowling and dismissed quality batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Brendon McCullum, Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina. The 18-year-old certainly showed that Afghanistan is a force to reckon with in cricket in the future.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/05/Sunil-Narine-KKR.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-143274" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Sunil-Narine-KKR.jpg" alt="Sunil Narine of Kolkata Knight Riders in action." width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-143274" class="wp-caption-text">Sunil Narine. (Photo: IANS)</figcaption>

It might come up as a surprise for many to find Sunil Narine in this list but what he did this season was nothing short of a revelation. He was primarily known for his mystery spin that made difficult for the batsmen to score runs off him and he used to bag heaps of wickets for Kolkata Knight Riders until last year. But this year, to everyone&#8217;s surprise, he was seen opening the innings and showcased the other aspect of his game.

The West Indian was sent with a clear mindset of going after the bowling from the very first ball. He opened the account with a boundary on a number of occasions and provided blistering starts to KKR that helped them chase down big totals more often than not. He also notched up the fastest fifty in IPL history off just 15 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore.  In total, he scored 214 runs in 13 matches and the most striking thing about his batting was the strike rate of 178.33.

<figure id="attachment_135892" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-135892" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Nitish-Rana-4.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-135892" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Nitish-Rana-4.jpg" alt="Nitish Rana" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-135892" class="wp-caption-text">Nitish Rana. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The 2017 edition of IPL was the most special amongst all the seasons so far as the league completed its 10 years. To mark the wonderful occasion, there were some astonishing performances from the Indian as well as overseas players. Most of the matches were closely contested and there was still no certainty about the four teams that would qualify for the playoffs until the last day of the league stage.</p>
<p>Now that the league stage is done and dusted, it gives us a chance to reflect on what transpired in the first part of the tournament. Just like every other season, this one also produced some new talents on the big platform. There were a few who stood out as surprise players as the cricketing world hadn’t witnessed what they were capable of. Those players came to the limelights with outstanding performances and became overnight stars.</p>
<p>Here is a look at the top 5 surprise players of the league stage:</p>
<h3>#5 Nitish Rana</h3>
<p>Mumbai Indians have been known to possess a settled batting line-up over the years and to break into that squad for a young batsman is extremely difficult. But a lesser-known Nitish Rana literally owned a place in the side with his consistent batting show. From the beginning, he was asked to bat at number 3 and&nbsp;the left-hander made that place his own for the most part of the league. He scored 333 runs in 13 matches at an average of 30.27 that also included 3 half-centuries.</p>
<p>In the earlier part of the season, the MI skipper Rohit Sharma was struggling for runs and the experts suggested that he should bat higher up the order. But Rana’s consistent scores ensured that Rohit’s lack of form didn’t impact the team’s results. He played several crucial knocks that helped the team chase down totals and gave them the momentum from the beginning of the league. At one stage, he was also holding the Orange Cap for being the leading run-scorer.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#4 Rahul Tripathi</h3>
<figure id="attachment_141562" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-141562" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/05/Rahul-Tripathi-IPL.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-141562" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rahul-Tripathi-IPL.jpg" alt="Rahul Tripathi of Rising Pune Supergiants" width="640" height="401" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-141562" class="wp-caption-text">Rahul Tripathi. (Photo: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Rising Pune Supergiant had a terrible season last year where they finished second from the bottom and were in a dire need of a revival in the 10th edition. This year, they completely turned the tables and ended up being number 2 on the points table after the league stage. One of the reasons why they did so well was the selection of Rahul Tripathi. The right-hander was an unknown commodity at the IPL arena but he came to the fore big time.</p>
<p>He was bought by the franchise for just INR 10 Lakh and he proved to be much more than his money’s worth. In 13 innings, he amassed 388 runs&nbsp;with 2 half-centuries, one of them being a score of 93. He provided the dashing starts which is&nbsp;evident from the strike rate of 149.81. His partner Ajinkya Rahane was woefully out of touch during the league stage but Tripathi more than filled in for him.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#3 Jaydev Unadkat</h3>
<figure id="attachment_140114" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-140114" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Jaydev-Unadkat-1.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-140114" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Jaydev-Unadkat-1.jpg" alt="Jaydev Unadkat" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-140114" class="wp-caption-text">Jaydev Unadkat. (Photo: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>One of the reasons why Rising Pune Supergiant failed miserably last year was the absence of a reliable fast bowler. This year too, apart from Ben Stokes, they didn’t have a big name in the bowling line-up. But Jaydev Unadkat raised his performances a few notches and ended up being the most successful bowler for his side. He picked up 21 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 13.29 and a strike rate of 10.81. After the league stage, he was the second highest wicket-taker only behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar.</p>
<p>Although the left-hander is not new at the IPL stage and has played several games before and also represented India in international cricket yet he wasn’t known to bowl this well in the shortest format of the game. He was a completely different bowler this year and played a key role in the success of RPS. His best performance came against Sunrisers Hyderabad where he bagged figures of 30/5 in 4 overs and also claimed a hattrick in that game.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#2 Rashid Khan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_139427" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-139427" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Rashid-Khan-3.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-139427" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rashid-Khan-3.jpg" alt="Rashid Khan Sunrisers Hyderabad" width="640" height="430" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-139427" class="wp-caption-text">Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Sunrisers Hyderabad made a surprise move when they spent a whopping INR 4 crore for purchasing the Afghan leg-spinner – Rashid Khan. He was known for troubling the batsmen of associate nations while representing Afghanistan but it was the first time he was going to bowl against the top quality international batsmen. Rashid did complete justice to his price tag and showed that he is totally capable of competing with the bests.</p>
<p>He bagged 17 wickets in 13 matches at an economy of just 6.67. He was holding the Purple Cap at one stage for being the leading run-getter before his teammate Bhuvneshwar Kumar overtook him. He showed great variations in bowling and dismissed quality batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Brendon McCullum, Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina. The 18-year-old certainly showed that Afghanistan is a force to reckon with in cricket in the future.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#1 Sunil Narine</h3>
<figure id="attachment_143274" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-143274" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/05/Sunil-Narine-KKR.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-143274" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Sunil-Narine-KKR.jpg" alt="Sunil Narine of Kolkata Knight Riders in action." width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-143274" class="wp-caption-text">Sunil Narine. (Photo: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>It might come up as a surprise for many to find Sunil Narine in this list but what he did this season was nothing short of a revelation. He was primarily known for his mystery spin that made difficult for the batsmen to score runs off him and he used to bag heaps of wickets for Kolkata Knight Riders until last year. But this year, to everyone’s surprise, he was seen opening the innings and showcased the other aspect of his game.</p>
<p>The West Indian was sent with a clear mindset of going after the bowling from the very first ball. He opened the account with a boundary on a number of occasions and provided blistering starts to KKR that helped them chase down big totals more often than not. He also notched up the fastest fifty in IPL history off just 15 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore. &nbsp;In total, he scored 214 runs in 13 matches and the most striking thing about his batting was the strike rate of 178.33.</p>

<figure id="attachment_135892" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-135892" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Nitish-Rana-4.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-135892" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Nitish-Rana-4.jpg" alt="Nitish Rana" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-135892" class="wp-caption-text">Nitish Rana. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The 2017 edition of IPL was the most special amongst all the seasons so far as the league completed its 10 years. To mark the wonderful occasion, there were some astonishing performances from the Indian as well as overseas players. Most of the matches were closely contested and there was still no certainty about the four teams that would qualify for the playoffs until the last day of the league stage.</p>
<p>Now that the league stage is done and dusted, it gives us a chance to reflect on what transpired in the first part of the tournament. Just like every other season, this one also produced some new talents on the big platform. There were a few who stood out as surprise players as the cricketing world hadn&#8217;t witnessed what they were capable of. Those players came to the limelights with outstanding performances and became overnight stars.</p>
<p>Here is a look at the top 5 surprise players of the league stage:</p>
<h3>#5 Nitish Rana</h3>
<p>Mumbai Indians have been known to possess a settled batting line-up over the years and to break into that squad for a young batsman is extremely difficult. But a lesser-known Nitish Rana literally owned a place in the side with his consistent batting show. From the beginning, he was asked to bat at number 3 and the left-hander made that place his own for the most part of the league. He scored 333 runs in 13 matches at an average of 30.27 that also included 3 half-centuries.</p>
<p>In the earlier part of the season, the MI skipper Rohit Sharma was struggling for runs and the experts suggested that he should bat higher up the order. But Rana&#8217;s consistent scores ensured that Rohit&#8217;s lack of form didn&#8217;t impact the team&#8217;s results. He played several crucial knocks that helped the team chase down totals and gave them the momentum from the beginning of the league. At one stage, he was also holding the Orange Cap for being the leading run-scorer.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#4 Rahul Tripathi</h3>
<figure id="attachment_141562" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-141562" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/05/Rahul-Tripathi-IPL.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-141562" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rahul-Tripathi-IPL.jpg" alt="Rahul Tripathi of Rising Pune Supergiants" width="640" height="401" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-141562" class="wp-caption-text">Rahul Tripathi. (Photo: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Rising Pune Supergiant had a terrible season last year where they finished second from the bottom and were in a dire need of a revival in the 10th edition. This year, they completely turned the tables and ended up being number 2 on the points table after the league stage. One of the reasons why they did so well was the selection of Rahul Tripathi. The right-hander was an unknown commodity at the IPL arena but he came to the fore big time.</p>
<p>He was bought by the franchise for just INR 10 Lakh and he proved to be much more than his money&#8217;s worth. In 13 innings, he amassed 388 runs with 2 half-centuries, one of them being a score of 93. He provided the dashing starts which is evident from the strike rate of 149.81. His partner Ajinkya Rahane was woefully out of touch during the league stage but Tripathi more than filled in for him.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#3 Jaydev Unadkat</h3>
<figure id="attachment_140114" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-140114" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Jaydev-Unadkat-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-140114" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Jaydev-Unadkat-1.jpg" alt="Jaydev Unadkat" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-140114" class="wp-caption-text">Jaydev Unadkat. (Photo: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>One of the reasons why Rising Pune Supergiant failed miserably last year was the absence of a reliable fast bowler. This year too, apart from Ben Stokes, they didn&#8217;t have a big name in the bowling line-up. But Jaydev Unadkat raised his performances a few notches and ended up being the most successful bowler for his side. He picked up 21 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 13.29 and a strike rate of 10.81. After the league stage, he was the second highest wicket-taker only behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar.</p>
<p>Although the left-hander is not new at the IPL stage and has played several games before and also represented India in international cricket yet he wasn&#8217;t known to bowl this well in the shortest format of the game. He was a completely different bowler this year and played a key role in the success of RPS. His best performance came against Sunrisers Hyderabad where he bagged figures of 30/5 in 4 overs and also claimed a hattrick in that game.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#2 Rashid Khan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_139427" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-139427" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Rashid-Khan-3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-139427" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rashid-Khan-3.jpg" alt="Rashid Khan Sunrisers Hyderabad" width="640" height="430" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-139427" class="wp-caption-text">Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Sunrisers Hyderabad made a surprise move when they spent a whopping INR 4 crore for purchasing the Afghan leg-spinner &#8211; Rashid Khan. He was known for troubling the batsmen of associate nations while representing Afghanistan but it was the first time he was going to bowl against the top quality international batsmen. Rashid did complete justice to his price tag and showed that he is totally capable of competing with the bests.</p>
<p>He bagged 17 wickets in 13 matches at an economy of just 6.67. He was holding the Purple Cap at one stage for being the leading run-getter before his teammate Bhuvneshwar Kumar overtook him. He showed great variations in bowling and dismissed quality batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Brendon McCullum, Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina. The 18-year-old certainly showed that Afghanistan is a force to reckon with in cricket in the future.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#1 Sunil Narine</h3>
<figure id="attachment_143274" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-143274" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/05/Sunil-Narine-KKR.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-143274" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Sunil-Narine-KKR.jpg" alt="Sunil Narine of Kolkata Knight Riders in action." width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-143274" class="wp-caption-text">Sunil Narine. (Photo: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>It might come up as a surprise for many to find Sunil Narine in this list but what he did this season was nothing short of a revelation. He was primarily known for his mystery spin that made difficult for the batsmen to score runs off him and he used to bag heaps of wickets for Kolkata Knight Riders until last year. But this year, to everyone&#8217;s surprise, he was seen opening the innings and showcased the other aspect of his game.</p>
<p>The West Indian was sent with a clear mindset of going after the bowling from the very first ball. He opened the account with a boundary on a number of occasions and provided blistering starts to KKR that helped them chase down big totals more often than not. He also notched up the fastest fifty in IPL history off just 15 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore.  In total, he scored 214 runs in 13 matches and the most striking thing about his batting was the strike rate of 178.33.</p>

There were a few players who emerged as pleasant surprises for their franchises

Top 5 surprise players of the league stage of IPL 10

The 2017 edition of IPL was the most special amongst all the seasons so far as the league completed its 10 years. To mark the wonderful occasion, there were