IPL 2016: 5 Indian players who can stage a comeback to the national team

The Indian Premier League presents a very good opportunity for players who have been sidelined from the National Team to perform and win their places back.

There have been players who have performed consistently in the domestic circuit, but then performances on the big stage in front of all the cameras does their case no harm.

Indian players who have been discarded in the past have used this platform to come back into National reckoning and they have also been handed out the opportunities.

We look at 5 players who have been shunted out, but a good performance in the upcoming IPL will certainly hold them in good stead in the upcoming season.

Robin Uthappa

The opening batsman from Karnataka has been in prolific run getting form in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy. In 13 innings, Uthappa has scored 759 runs with an impressive average of 58.38.

He has also worked on his wicket-keeping skills and this new wing also will do him no harm whatsoever.

Uthappa has been a consistent performer in the IPL as well and has hit his straps for the Kolkata Knight Riders for whom he opens the batting. His record is impressive as well. In 120 matches he has scored 2996 runs at a average of 29.96 and with a strike rate of 127.70.

Another dominating performance and Uthappa can certainly break into the National squad.

Irfan Pathan

India and the perennial search for all-rounders never ends. Hardik Pandya is the latest to occupy the musical chair, but then the impact and potential of Irfan Pathan can never be neglected.

Irfan has been plagued with injuries too, but in the limited matches he played for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy certainly proved that he still has that fire and promise. The left armer grabbed 6 wickets for 47 runs and also scored 73 runs including a half-century for Baroda against Gujarat.

He has also been in the thick of things in the IPL and enjoys the confidence of MS Dhoni and will playing under him for the Rising Pune Supergiants. India will be more than happy if Irfan performs and wins his place back in the squad.

Piyush Chawla

The leg spinner was once the trusted aide for MS Dhoni, but then a string of shallow performances saw him slip out and Amit Mishra take precedence.

He has had a decent run in the Ranji Trophy and is also a critical cog for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Chawla has also improved his batting to a great degree and this might give him a head start if he performs well in the upcoming season. With his fastish leg-break, Chawla might be the leg spinner India is looking for at the moment.

He has also been around for a long time now so he will know more than anybody else that if he performs well, a national recall might not be too far.

Jaydev Unadkat

The left arm seamer from Saurashtra had a forgettable debut against South Africa at Centurion where he toiled away for 26 overs without any wickets and giving away 101 runs. He has since played only 7 more ODIs, but has never been anywhere close to impressive and thus dropped off the radar.

However, he has had a breakthrough Ranji Trophy season where he scalped 55 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 20.12.

He was instrumental in Saurashtra’s advancement into the finals, where he perfomed once again. He will now play for the Kolkata Knight Riders and he will know that a good end to the season will certainly place his name firmly before the selectors.

Ambati Rayudu

There has never been any doubt over the talent of Ambati Rayudu, but there has always been question marks about his temperament. He led India U-19s to the final in the Bangladesh in 2004, but his career never took off.

He played for the rebel and now defunct ICL, and that took away many years of cricket from him, but he was back in the loop in 2010 where he scored fluently for the Mumbai Indians. An aesthetically pleasing player Rayudu has provided moments of brilliance but lack of consistency has robbed him off a certain place in any format. He has been a key player for the Mumbai Indians over the years and has batted everwhere in the batting order with considerable success.

A good performance here might give him another chance to stake a claim for the National team and needs to churn out the runs and that too with consistency.