The Indian Premier League has provided a platform for cricket professionals from around the globe to showcase their talent, and countless players gained popularity by playing in this coveted tournament. However, many players also achieved brief stardom in this marquee tournament but faded into obscurity quickly. In this article, we delve into the stories of those players.
Swapnil Asnodkar
The right-handed batter from Goa showcased red-hot form during the 2007-08 Ranji Trophy season, catching the eye of Rajasthan Royals, who signed him in the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. Asnodkar lived up to expectations by scoring 60 runs off just 34 balls in his debut game against KKR. 
Spearheading the innings for the Rajasthan-based franchise in the inaugural season, the Goa batter played aggressively, smashing 311 runs in just 9 innings. As a key contributor, he played a crucial role in Rajasthan Royals’ victory in the inaugural season of the IPL, earning him the moniker ‘Pocket Dynamite’. However, despite his explosive start, Asnodkar failed to maintain momentum in the next three seasons of the IPL, struggling to make significant contributions with the bat. Consequently, the inaugural IPL-winning franchise decided to part ways with Asnodkar in the 2012 IPL auction. Asnodkar failed to stage a comeback in the IPL and faded away quickly.
Paul Valthaty
Mumbai-born Paul Valthaty made headlines in the 2011 IPL while playing for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). The right-handed batter amassed an unbeaten and breathtaking 120 runs off just 63 balls against the Chennai Super Kings. His remarkable innings helped the Punjab-based franchise chase down a hefty target of 188 runs, securing victory by 6 wickets with 5 balls to spare.
The Mumbaiker notched up 463 runs in 14 innings with a strike rate of 136.98, and it is pertinent to mention that he was the second-highest run-getter for the Punjab-based franchise in the 2011 IPL. Valthaty holds the record for being the first player from Mumbai to score a century in the IPL and the fourth Indian player to achieve this feat in the marquee tournament. However, the Mumbai batter failed to stamp his authority in the subsequent IPL seasons and dimmed away from fans’ memories quickly. On June 18, 2023, Valthaty announced his retirement from professional cricket due to an eye injury.
Manvinder Bisla
Manvinder Bisla is a right-handed wicket-keeper batter from Haryana, was part of the India A team, and was a stand-in captain for the U-19 team during the tour of England in 2002. Bisla made his domestic debut in the 2002-03 Ranji Trophy for Haryana.
A true Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fan can never forget the contributions of Bisla, as the wicket-keeper batter played a pivotal knock for the Kolkata-based franchise in the 2012 IPL final against the then two-time champions, Chennai Super Kings, helping KKR lift the silverware for the first time in the IPL. The right-handed batter was not slated to play in the grand finale, but with Brett Lee coming in for injured Lakshmipathy Balaji forced KKR management to drop Brendon McCullum due to overseas players capping and bring Bisla into the playing XI. Grabbing the opportunity with both hands, the Haryana-born cricketer played a scintillating knock of 89 runs off 48 balls, smashing 8 fours and 5 sixes, ultimately denying the Chennai Super Kings franchise their third consecutive IPL trophy.
Bisla’s IPL journey saw stints with Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2009 and 2010 before he joined KKR for the 2011-2014 seasons. He scored just 255 runs in 14 matches in the 2013 IPL, and KKR played him only in one match in the 2014 IPL. The Kolkata-based franchise parted ways with Bisla in the 2015 IPL auction, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) roped in the wicket-keeper batter but only got to feature in two matches in the seventh edition of the IPL. Subsequently, he remained unsold in the 2016 and 2017 IPL auctions, gradually fading from the limelight. Bisla has joined the IPL 2024 commentary panel for the Haryanvi language, alongside the explosive Indian batter, Virender Sehwag.
