Anil Kumble names most underrated players in IPL history; 'He doesn't get much credit'

Former Indian head coach Anil Kumble recently appeared on Jio Cinema and made an interesting remark about the Indian Premier League. The legendary wrist-spinner revealed his choice of players, who he feels are the most underrated ones in the recent past in the Indian Premier League. Naming his first choice as Mayank Agarwal, Kumble said Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal certainly makes it to the list.

The former cricketer explained Chahal has changed fortunes for whichever teams he has represented, but isn’t credited enough. "That's a tough one. Underrated player. In the recent past, I would call Mayank Agarwal as an underrated player. From a bowling perspective, I don't think he gets enough credit for what he has done - Yuzi Chahal. He is someone who has certainly changed the fortunes of whichever team that he has been playing for," said Anil Kumble on JioCinema.

Mayank Agarwal and Yuzvendra Chahal were not retained by their IPL teams

Meanwhile, Mayank Agarwal was ousted as the Punjab Kings captain following IPL 2022 and was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 8.25 crore in the IPL 2023 Auction. Just like Agarwal, Punjab Kings also decided to part ways with Kumble in their support staff. In the meantime, the franchise named Shikhar Dhawan as the captain as preparations kicked off for the 16th edition of the marquee T20 league.

On the other hand, Yuzvendra Chahal was not retained by his franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auctions, where he fetched a bid from Rajasthan Royals. After performing consistently for RCB throughout the years, Chahal finished as the highest wicket-taker for RR in IPL 2023. Riding high on such performances alongside the rest, RR made it to the IPL 2022 final, where they suffered a loss from the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans.

IPL 2023 kicks off with the Hardik Pandya vs MS Dhoni clash

Kumble’s comments come at a time when all 10 participating teams in the IPL have started their training for the 2023 season. IPL 2023 is scheduled to begin on March 31 with the GT vs CSK clash. The opening match will see defending champions GT clash against the four-time IPL-winning skipper MS Dhoni.

IPL 2023 will be played in a home-and-away format for the first time since 2019. While the 2020 edition was played in UAE due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was halted midway through 2021, before again getting shifted to the gulf nation. Meanwhile, the 2022 edition was played across four venues in Maharashtra.