IPL 2023: 2 India discards making a strong impact

The 16th edition of the IPL has seen some astonishing performances by players from all teams. There have been significant contributions from the Indian cricketers in the league, with both the Indian internationals as well as the uncapped Indians owning the big stage with their brilliance.

The tournament has provided a perfect platform not only for the young, uncapped Indians, but also given a chance for some of the Indian discards to showcase their abilities and present a strong case for their comeback into the national T20 side.

Here we look at two Indian cricketers who are making a strong case for regular inclusion in the national team setup in the future.

#1 Venkatesh Iyer:

Venkatesh Iyer has been brilliant for KKR in IPL 2023

Venkatesh Iyer was a revelation for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2021 edition of the tournament. In 10 games during IPL 2021, Iyer scored 370 runs at an average of 41.11 at a strike-rate of 128.47. His remarkable season turned out to be the prime reason for KKR’s top four finish in the tournament.

Iyer's ability as an all-rounder prompted the Indian selectors to give the Madhya Pradesh cricketer a chance in the Indian side as a replacement for the injured Hardik Pandya. Although Iyer played a different role for his franchise, he was asked to bat in the slog-overs and don the finisher’s role in the Indian side.

Overall, in 9 T20 internationals for India, Iyer scored 133 runs at a strike rate of 162.19. His average of 33.25 batting in the lower-order speaks volumes about Iyer’s consistency as a finisher.

In the ongoing edition of the IPL, the left-hander has been in sublime form, having scored 234 runs, including a superb century, at an impressive strike-rate of 170. Coming back from a knee injury, Iyer has put to rest any sort of speculation about his fitness as he has batted with supreme authority in the IPL. His clean striking as well as consistency augurs well for the all-rounder in pursuit of making a comeback into the Indian side.

#2 Ravi Bishnoi:

With strong showing in the ongoing IPL, Ravi Bishnoi is making a strong case to be in the selectors' eyes in the future

Ravi Bishnoi has been in terrific form with the ball for the Lucknow Super Giants. In five matches so far, the leg-spinner has picked up 8 wickets with a handy economy-rate of 7.14.

In 10 T20 internationals for India, Bishnoi has taken 16 wickets with an economy of 7.09. Apart from his wicket-taking ability, batters find it difficult to read the leg-spinner which is reflected in his remarkable economy.

After the Asia Cup tournament in 2022, Bishnoi was given a snub by the national selectors despite not performing too badly. However, with a strong showing in IPL 2023 for his franchise, Bishnoi is making a strong case for his return to the national side.