5 lesser known players discovered by Rajasthan Royals

#2 Kamran Khan

If Pravin Tambe was on one end of the age spectrum, Kamran Khan is on the younger side of it having been signed by the Royals at the ripe age of 18. Kamran Khan was the son of a woodcutter and no stranger to poverty and adversity, used to sleeping on platforms when traveling for cricket trials. Those times ended when he was signed with a Rs. 12 lakh contract with the Royals in 2009.

“Even until few days ago, nobody knew me. I used to play at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai and just hoped to keep on doing the hard work. I'd gone for trials to every part of UP but without success,” said Kamran when he was signed by the Royals. His discovery is credit to Darren Berry, the director of coaching of the Royals.

Kamran's coach, Naushan Khan revealed, “We entered him into the Mumbai Police squad for a Twenty20 tournament at the DY Patil Stadium recently, and he impressed plenty there. Darren Berry happened to be there and he was impressed with Kamran.”

Kamran's story does not have a fairytale ending yet. One could say that it is still being written, even though it has taken a downward turn. After the on-field umpires reported him for suspect action in 2009 during a match vs Chennai Super Kings. 2011 was the last year he played in the IPL. He took 12 wickets in 11 matches in T20 matches. He has since worked on his bowling action while maintaining a day job at his brother's farm. In 2013, he made his first-class debut for Colts Cricket Club and at the age of 24 he is looking to work his way up.