IPL 2019: How the promising debutants have fared

We are halfway into this season of the Indian Premier League and we are still far for sure as to which four teams will make it to the playoffs. The World Cup preparations have not yet marred the squads of the teams, with all players still very much available for their respective teams.

With the defending champions sitting right on top in the points table with 12 points, they are the only team that is almost sure of making to the final four.

The other teams still need at least a couple of wins to have a sigh of relief. With this season turning out to be one of the most competitive ones in recent years, this season is yet to find a rising star who just emerges out of the IPL almost every year.

This IPL has had a fair amount of debuts, but none of them have really taken off to perform and win matches for their respective teams.

Here is a look at some of the promising names that had emerged for the first time before the season started to what they have done in the season.

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#1 Shimron Hetmyer

Hetmyer has made a mess of whatever chances RCB gave him

This 22-year old left-handed batsman from the West Indies has had an impressive career in 50-overs cricket with an average of a little over 40 in 24 matches. Also, when the Carribean side toured India last year, Shimron Hetmyer was on song. He scored 259 runs in 5 innings with a strike-rate of 140.

Looking at this ability to adapt to the subcontinent conditions and playing such innings for his country made him one of the front-runners in the IPL auction that was held in December.

He did get a high price with RCB buying it for ₹4.2 crore. However, his golden period seemed to have ended there. Post that he has been terribly out of form. He was supposed to be the pillar of the RCB middle order after Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers up at the top. However, in the 4 matches, he was included in the playing XI, he scored an aggregate of just 15 runs.

Hetmyer, being a pure batsman with no contribution with the ball, he has been a burden on RCB's pockets so far. And now, with the Steyn gun coming into the squad, the four overseas slots are booked for Steyn, de Villiers, Marcus Stoinis and Moeen Ali. That keeps Hetmyer away from any probable chances of making it back into the XI.

#2 Shivam Dube

Shivam Dube has not done enough to make his worth known

Another RCB buy that has cost them hard. A promising young all-rounder for Mumbai, Shivam Dube made it into the headlines just a day before the auction, when he hammered a Baroda bowler for 5 sixes in 5 balls in a Ranji Trophy fixture.

These 5 sixes cost RCB, ₹5 crore. He was one of the top players at the auction, and there was quite some buzz around him and the RCB team coming into this IPL. He was another middle order batsman just like Hetmyer, whose services were brought to bring solidity in the RCB batting. However, much like the West Indian Hetmyer, Dube has failed miserably.

Touted to be the next big thing that IPL will gift to the Indian cricket, Dube has scored just 16 runs in the three chances he has got so far. Also, his bowling was not used by Virat Kohli.

These two buys from the auction have been really bad for the Royal Challengers.

#3 Harry Gurney

Harry Gurney might make it count if given a chance in the upcoming matchesEnter caption

Harry Gurney was bought by KKR at the auction, after looking at his performances in the Big Bash League in Australia. Till now he has played 3 matches, accounting for 3 wickets.

Not the most ideal start to an IPL career, but with his team starting to lose games now, he will have to step up as much as the other players will. His variations have worked just fine till now for the KKR.

For the 31-year old, this is his first shot at the most popular and established T20 league in the world, and he will definitely have to step up his game to survive throughout this season and come back with a contract in the upcoming seasons.

The franchise has been persistent with him in the recent matches and if they carry on like this, he might come out good for the team and end up with some consistency.

#4 Keemo Paul

Keemo Paul has started getting into the groove since the past couple of matches

Another Carribean who made in debut in this season of the IPL is Keemo Paul. Bought by the newly named team, Delhi Capitals, he has played 4 games so far, with 6 wickets registered against his name.

Paul has been in and out of the Delhi team. However, it was the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on the 14th of April where he shone the most. With a six while batting, 2 crucial catches and 3 wickets in the match, Paul was the Man of the Match.

This player is slowly joining the party for the Delhi Capitals who have now won 3 matches in a row. The team is surely going to give the bowler more chances, and if he can come out good, he might be one of the most valuable buys for the team, this year.

He is one of the very few who have made their debut this season, and have made some impact on match-days.

#5 Alzarri Joseph

Joseph has not found his lines and lengths right since his first game

Yet another West Indian who made his debut this year with the Mumbai Indians, and had an absolutely sensational debut match. Alzarri Joseph returned with best bowling figures in IPL history, 6-12 in his 3.4 overs with one maiden over.

He bundled up Sunrisers Hyderabad for just 96. However, post that his performance has simply done no justice. He seems to be a different player from his second match. Not only has he failed in picking up another wicket, but also conceded bucket load of runs.

In his second match of the season, Joseph did not even complete his quota of 4 overs, bowling just 2. But it was his third match that must have left him most disappointed with himself. In just 3 overs he conceded 53 runs.

Joseph, who was brought in as a replacement for New Zealand pacer Adam Milne, will be out of action for the rest of the IPL, after suffering a blow on his shoulder in the match against Rajasthan. This is really unfortunate for the youngster who won't be getting any chances to redeem himself.

#6 Varun Chakravarthy

27-year-old Tamil Nadu spinner, Varun Chakravarthy was bought by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping sum of ₹8.4 crore. There was a bidding war in the auction room for this spinner who made it to the limelight through his performance in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.

However, KXIP has many spinning options and that has led them to isolate this player. Skipper R Ashwin, who himself is a spinner, has opted for either Murugan Ashwin or Mujeeb ur Rahman as the second spinner in most matches. Varun has played just one match so far, picking up a solitary wicket, but conceding 35 runs in just 3 overs that he has bowled.

He will need more chances in the upcoming matches so that he could prove his worth and his price-tag. However, if his debut match and stats are anything to go by, then it clearly is a condition of IPL pressure getting the better off a young debutant.