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 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’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:

#5 Nitish Rana

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’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.