One-Season Wonders in IPL

On one side, we have Virat Kohli. The epitome of consistency in the IPL.

On the other hand, we have players who have had just one good season. And after that, nothing quite worked for them.

This article sheds some light on a few of those one-season wonder players in the IPL.

Swapnil Asnodkar

Goan Cannon. That’s what Shane Warne nicknamed Swapnil Asnodkar. Why? 

Well, he was a gun batter. And everyone got a glimpse of it in 2008.

Asnodkar provided quick starts for Rajasthan Royals (RR), alongside Graeme Smith. The kind of starts that helped him aggregate 311 runs in nine innings. This was crucial in the Royals’ lifting the inaugural title.

But then followed the freefall. Asnodkar remained with RR till 2011 but never quite delivered any remarkable performance. And then he quietly vanished into the void.

Manpreet Gony

Another player who starred in 2008. Manpreet Gony. A six-foot-four-inch right-arm seamer. 

That tall frame of his helped him extract bounce. And of course, 17 wickets in 16 innings for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Gony’s performance was so good he earned an India call-up right after. But fate had its say in the next IPL seasons.

Gony had two more seasons with CSK before a switch to Deccan Chargers in 2011-12 and Kings XI Punjab in 2013. He briefly returned in 2017, playing for Gujarat Lions, but that charm was long gone by then.

Saurabh Tiwary

Long hair. Power-hitter. Jharkhand. We are not talking about MS Dhoni. But rather about someone who, many thought, would be the next Dhoni. That’s Saurabh Tiwary.

He had few chances in 2008 and 2009 with Mumbai Indians (MI). But then he made 2009 count. 

Tiwary scored 419 runs in 15 innings. That was enough to claim the Under-23 Player of the Tournament award that season.

He then moved to Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011. But sadly, the bulk of the runs never came from his bat thereafter.

Paul Valthaty

Five. One. Six. These were Paul Valthaty’s scores in his first three IPL innings. 

Then came the fourth one. And he delivered a grand knock. 120 not out off 63 balls against CSK.

That knock sealed his slot in Kings XI Punjab’s side in 2011. By the time the season ended, Valthaty had 463 runs in 14 innings. And yes, seven wickets also!

After that peak, Valthaty hit rock bottom. Injury and poor form kept him out of action in the next two seasons. And by 2014, he was nowhere near professional cricket.

Read Next | IPL Playing XI of All Time