IPL 2020: 4 uncapped all-rounders to watch out for

In the Indian Premier League, it is important for the franchises to search for the right balance in the team, keeping in mind the cash at disposal. After bagging the international stars in the team, they often rely on domestic all-rounders to act as a filler and help them form the best playing XI.

Multi-dimensional players in the past like Rajat Bhatia, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, and many more have done well for their respective teams to provide depth in both, the batting and bowling.

Let us have a look at the 4 uncapped all-rounders who should be checked out in IPL 2020.

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#4 Riyan Parag

There is an old trend with Rajasthan Royals to identify young prodigies, rope them in, develop and turn them into match winners. Riyan Parag is a similar cricketer who has shown the impression of becoming a mainstay for the Jaipur-based franchise. In the past, players like Ravindra Jadeja, Sanju Samson, James Faulkner, and Jofra Archer, who were once less-known cricketers, turned out to be game-changers after spending time with RR.

The 18-year-old all-rounder was grabbed by RR for INR 20 lakhs, which was his base price, at the IPL 2019 auction. Though Riyan Parag played only 7 matches last season, he showed glimpses of his capabilities on a few occasions. He scored a gritty half-century while batting in the lower middle-order against Delhi Capitals and came out as a handy leg-spinner.

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The Assam-born cricketer is a batting all-rounder who bowls wrist spin and is ideal to have at number 6 or 7. In addition to Ben Stokes' seam bowling, Parag can provide RR with an extra spin-bowling option to contain the batsmen in the middle-overs, which might be handy with the large boundaries of Sawai Maan Singh stadium.

#3 Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma will support Vijay Shankar to provide depth to the SRH XI

Abhishek Sharma is another teenage all-rounder who has often been overshadowed by a flurry of batting prodigies like Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill in the youth cricket set up. The 19-year-old cricketer bats in the lower middle-order and is known to tonk the ball all over the park towards the fag end of the innings. In addition to that, he bowls some handy left-arm spin and was traded by Delhi Capitals, along with Vijay Shankar and Shahbaz Nadeem, to the Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the 2019 edition. In exchange, DC got hold of experienced Shikhar Dhawan, their local boy.

The Punjab cricketer displayed his hard-hitting abilities a couple of years ago when he smashed a 19-ball 46 to help the Delhi Capitals reach a decent total against Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2018.

At IPL 2020, Abhishek can be expected to play a key role in the SRH set up, especially after the departure of Yusuf Pathan and Deepak Hooda. The balance that he brings for the 2016 champs makes him the uncapped all-rounder to watch out for in the upcoming edition of the T20 extravaganza.

#2 Harshal Patel

He is one of the most skilful uncapped players in the IPL

Harshal Patel is a part of the most popular T20 league in the world since 2012 after making his IPL debut at the age of 22. Despite the fact that he hasn't gained a crucial role for any of the franchises yet, Patel has matured into a seasoned cricketer over the years. In an IPL career of 43 matches, the 29-year-old has picked up 43 wickets at a tolerable economy rate of 8.72 considering he has often bowled at the tail end of the innings.

In Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019/20, the domestic T20 tournament in India, the Haryana cricketer ended up as the third-highest wicket-taker with 19 scalps in 12 games. In addition to his bowling, Harshal Patel provides a lot with the bat as he can smash the ball out of the boundary coming in lower down the order. His recent form has been brutal as he slammed 374 runs at a strike-rate of 165 in the domestic T20 season.

The recent form and his experience make him one of the cricketers to keep an eye on for his all-round skills in IPL 2020.

#1 Krishnappa Gowtham

Gowtham was traded from RR to KXIP ahead of the IPL 2020 auction

Krishnappa Gowtham is one of the most devastating all-rounders one can find at the domestic level in India. He can win matches both with the bat as well as with ball on a given day. The Karnataka cricketer has a reputation of being a ferocious finisher with the bat and he has often displayed his capabilities in IPL for his former team, Rajasthan Royals. His 11-ball 33 to clinch the match against Mumbai Indians in 2018 might still be fresh in some memories.

As an off-spinner, the 31-year-old has the grit to bowl in the powerplays which gives his team an extra option to the skipper for taking up the new ball. In his T20 career of 56 matches, Gowtham has picked up 36 wickets at an economy rate of 7.6 and has scored over 500 runs at a strike-rate of 162.

In the Karnataka Premier League last year, he picked up an 8-wicket hall and smashed 134 off just 56 balls in the same match.