IPL 2020: Devdutt Padikkal to T Natarajan - Smartest domestic buys and their prices

The IPL 2020 is halfway through and the international superstars have lit up the season with some terrific performances. But, some of the lesser known players from the Indian domestic were not to be left behind either in terms of performances. Here, we look at some of those smart uncapped buys from Indian domestic scene who have been the knight in shining armour for their teams:

Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal (Source: RCB)

Devdutt Padikkal (DDP), is a 20 year old left handed opener playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He has been with the RCB since IPL 2019, where he was brought for his base price of INR.20 lakh. While DDP warmed the RCB benches for the whole 2019 season, the experience of brushing shoulders with players like Virat Kohli and Ab de Villiers surely worked. After the 2019 IPL, the southpaw set the Indian domestic circuit on fire and emerged as the top run scorer for Karnataka in all three formats. This fantastic show opened up a window for DDP in the RCB batting lineup in IPL 2020, and he sure hasn’t disappointed. In this season so far, he has managed 247 runs in seven innings and is RCB’s second highest run scorer only behind skipper, Virat Kohli.

Abdul Samad

Abdul Samad (Source: SRH)

An 18 year old, hard hitting middle order batsman, Abdul Samad was brought for his base price of INR.20 lakh by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) during IPL 2020. Samad was fast tracked into the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) squad after he caught the eye of former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan in 2018. His 36 sixes for J&K during the 2019-2020 Ranji Trophy is a testament to his big hitting abilities. Samad was snapped up by the Hyderabad franchise after a strong recommendation to VVS Laxman from Pathan and J&K mentor Milap Mewada, who was coincidentally Laxman’s under-19 teammate. In the limited opportunities he has got with the SRH side, Samad has shown the cricketing fraternity what he is capable of.

Riyan Parag

Riyan Parag (Source: Rajasthan Royals)

A middle order bat who can bowl useful offspin, Riyan Parag has been plying his trade for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) since IPL 2019. He was bought for his base price of INR.20 lakh by the Royals after an impressive showing during the 2018 Under-19 World Cup. Parag was one of the stars for RR in an otherwise disappointing tournament for Rajasthan Royals in 2020. Parag also holds the record for being the youngest to score an IPL fifty (IPL 2019). He was of 17 years and 175 days at the time. Riyan Parag is also a handy right-arm legbreak bowler.

T Natarajan

T Natarajan (Source: SRH)

The 29 year old left arm pacer with his yorkers has been the find of the tournament so far. Natarajan came to limelight with his impressive performances during the 2017 Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and was snapped up by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for a whopping INR.3 crore in the same year. The move though, backfired badly as Natarajan failed to justify his price tag. Naturally he was thrown back into auction pool, where SRH brought him at his base price of INR.40 lakh during the 2018 season. Though he did not get any chances in his first two seasons with SRH, the stint helped him a lot. The 2020 season saw an improved Natarajan getting his chances and he has been the best pacer for SRH, scalping nine wickets in eight matches with an economy of 8.27 runs per over.

Rahul Tripathi

Rahul Tripathi (Source: KKR)

Rahul Tripathi shot to fame with some highly impressive performances for the Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) during the IPL 2017. RR brought him during the 2018 auctions and he stayed with them till 2019 without much success with the bat. He was brought in by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) before IPL 2020 for his base price of INR.60 lakh. Tripathi has had limited opportunities with KKR, mostly batting out of his comfortable position but has still managed to score 137 runs in four innings while striking at an impressive 138.4.

Rahul Tewatia

Rahul Tewatia (Source: Rajasthan Royals)

Such has been Tewatia’s show this season that for cricket fans across the globe there is a new phrase in their dictionary – ‘To do a Tewatia’ which translates to doing an impossible. From a base price of INR.10 lakh, Tewatia was picked up for an impressive INR.3 crore during the IPL 2019 auctions by Delhi Capitals (DC) after an intense bidding war with his former team, KXIP. Though he managed to put up some decent performances for DC, the franchise decided to trade him to RR for the 2020 IPL. Tewatia came on his own during this season, scoring valuable runs for RR down the order and also picking up timely wickets. Out of the three wins RR has managed this season, two have come largely due to Tewatia. He has scored a total of 203 runs this season at an average of 40.6 and strike rate of 143 in 8 matches. Add to that his 5 wickets at an average of 28.2 and you would know why ‘to do a Tewatia’ is now a thing.

Ravi Bishnoi

Ravi Bishnoi (Source: KXIP)

A 20 year old leg-spinner, Ravi Bishnoi made the world notice his undeniable talent during the 2019 Under-19 World Cup. An impressive show during the world cup meant that KXIP grabbed the spinner for a massive INR.2 crore from his base price of INR.20 lakh. Under the guidance of Anil Kumble, Bishnoi has managed to fox the best of the batsmen with his googlies. He has managed to take 8 wickets in seven matches with an economy of 7.85 runs per over and has been one of the starts in an otherwise disappointing campaign for KXIP.

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