IPL 2021: Five Indian players who have a point to prove

With the second leg of IPL-14 starting on Sunday, mid-day.com takes a look at five Indian players who will look to make amends in the cash-rich league after being dropped from the T20 World Cup and reserve squad

Shikhar Dhawan

IPL-14 highest run-scorer and Delhi Capitals' opener Shikhar Dhawan will look to shine after being snubbed from India’s T20 World Cup squad. The Orange Cap holder looked in great touch during the first half of the tournament, scoring 380 runs in eight games. Dhawan led India's second-string team in the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka recently where he amassed 86 runs in three T20I matches. He has an opportunity to prove a point by scoring big in the United Arab Emirates.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal looked out of form in the first half of the IPL, claiming just four wickets in seven games at a high economy rate of 8.26. However, he made a strong comeback in the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka by picking up five wickets in two ODIs, apart from his  1-19 off four overs in first T20I against the hosts. The leg-spinner will look to prove the selectors wrong by putting up a solid show for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson has been in and out of the team since making his T20I debut in 2015. The Rajasthan Royals skipper impressed one and all by scoring 277 runs in seven matches in the first half of IPL-14. He, however, was unimpressive in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka last July, scoring just 34 matches in three games. The wicketkeeper-batsman, who has played 10 T20 International matches, will look to score big and impress the selectors to get back into national reckoning.

Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj, who played his last T20I in 2018, was hopeful of being selected in the T20 World Cup squad after a superb show in the Test series against England (14 wickets in four matches). However, the RCB right-arm pacer will have to slog it out in the white-ball format to impress the national selectors. Siraj claimed six wickets in seven matches in the first leg of the tournament and will be confident of putting up a solid show in the upcoming matches.

Prithvi Shaw

Though Delhi Capitals' Prithvi Shaw made his T20I debut a couple of months back against Sri Lanka, his big-hitting ability made him a contender for a place in the T20 World Cup squad. The Mumbai opener was the top scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (827 runs in eight matches) earlier this year. He continued his fine form in the first half of the IPL, smashing 308 runs in eight matches at an impressive strike rate of 166.48. He will look to continue in the same fashion by scoring quick and put the opposition out of the game within a span of a few overs.

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