IPL Mid-season success stories:

The 2020 edition of the IPL is reaching its end, and unlike past seasons, no team has dominated the charts in all the departments. The battle for the 4th position went down to the wire, as the play-off battles took a new turn with every match. While defending champions Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals continued to impress, Chennai Super Kings continued their shocking and dismal run of form, and a loss against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians ended their hopes of a top 4 spot in this years IPL. The story narrated by scoreboards is distant from reality, or at least in the case of T20 cricket, they often don't paint the true picture. Its now time for a short recap. Taking you back to the half-way mark of the season, here are some player profiles and their surprise success stories of IPL 2020:

Devdutt Padikkal

With the India tour of Australia less than a month away, the BCCI has a big task of selecting its best 32-man squad for the series, and some new faces could get their big-ticket thanks to their impressive run in the IPL. 

Devdutt Padikkal is one such youngster who has oozed with confidence with every shot played. The stylish youngster has been brilliant for Royal Challengers Bangalore at the top of the order and amassed over 300 runs in 10 matches and has played a key role in RCB's run of good fortune. Being under the stewardship of Virat Kohli's, Padikkal notched up three breezy fifties in the first seven games and has become a regular in the RCB starting lineup. 

Anrich Nortje

Anrich Nortje made his way into the Delhi Capitals squad as a replacement to Englishman all-rounder Chris Woakes and has become a constant in the starting lineup. A revelation for the Delhi Capitals, Nortje has been a great foil for his countryman pacer Kagiso Rabada. On tracks where spin was predicted to play a dominant role, Nortje's searing pace has delivered crucial wickets for the Capitals and also holds the recorded for the fastest ball bowled in IPL for his 97.1mph delivery to Jos Buttler.

His ability to bowl consistent lines and yorkers also means that batsmen have struggled to get many runs off him in the death overs. He remains among the bowlers to watch out for in the second half as well.

Rahul Tewatia

Rahul Tewatia has been the flavor of the season for the Rajasthan Royals. The all-rounder was one of the budget buys who has given bang for buck, and has scored 224 runs at an average of 44.80, which makes him the fourth-highest run getter behind the likes of Jos Buttler and Steven Smith. Tewatia has proved to be a match-winner with his explosive ability, and his strike rate of 143.58 is superior to both Smith's and Buttler's. 

The game against Kings XI Punjab turned Tewatia's fortunes around as he went from villain to hero, almost Bollywood-esque. Tewatia’s five sixes in an over from Sheldon Cottrell will remain one of the most memorable turnarounds in IPL history. Complementing Jofra Archer in the bowling unit, Tewatia's seven wickets ties him with Shreyas Gopal as the second-highest wicket-taker and with an economy rate of 7.25, he is the second-most economical bowler in the Royals team. 

Ravi Bishnoi

The star of the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa earlier in the year has made a serious impact in a team struggling for consistency. Young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has taken on big names and won some rounds as well. His aggressive bowling has fetched him nine wickets in ten games and is the second-highest wicket-taker in the Kings XI Punjab team. With a respectable economy rate of 7.91, he has taken three wickets in an innings twice and has some big scalps such as David Warner, Aaron Finch, Eoin Morgan and Jonny Bairstow to his name. Still only 20, Bishnoi could end up being a great long-term investment for Kings XI.

T. Natarajan

The Indian Premier League is home to numerous rags-to-riches stories. The storyline went thus: A failed district cricket player spots Natarajan, launches him in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) league. Sunrisers Hyderabad left-arm pacer T. Natrajan has gotten accustomed to being titled as the king of yorkers by several cricket pundits and legends such as Brett Lee, Virendra Sehwag gushing over his performance in this year's IPL.

That Natarajan could pursue cricket is itself a story of great grit and determination. His nagging accuracy and ability to land the ball on the blockhole at will has stood out in his performances. Natrajan's colleagues have lauded his fitness routine. From tennis ball yorkers to doing it on the big stage with a leather ball is a big leap; for one, yorkers, like bouncers, take a lot more physical effort than stock balls. 

Natarajan impressed with 2 for 24 against Punjab. In the triumph over CSK, he picked up the scalps of Ambati Rayudu and Ravindra Jadeja at key moments in the game. He then dismissed the dangerous Marcus Stoinis as SRH stunned favorites Delhi. Having played 10 matches, Natrajan has 11 wickets to his name with an economy rate of 8.85 and a title of 'Yorker King' in the 2020 Dream11 IPL edition. 

Axar Patel

In a Delhi Capitals squad stacked with star spinners, that Patel towered above the rest remains a testament to his unique selling proposition, with a stunning economy rate of 5.78 from 10 games so far by keeping the opposition on a leash.

The strategy for Patel and the Capitals have been clear: bowling him predominantly in the first 10 overs. This proved beneficial against KXIP, and in the game against CSK, Patel became the first spinner to open the bowling in the ongoing season of the IPL. He proved his efficacy almost immediately: two dots and two singles later, picking up Watson's wicket and ending the night with 2 for 18 from four overs. In his game against the RCB, although Patel didn't get the big scalps, he created dot-ball pressure on Kohli and had Aaron Finch caught behind early in the innings.

While Axar allows himself to be a floater in the Delhi bowling line-up, Delhi and coach Ricky Ponting have been able to marry his versatility with smarts. Against CSK in Sharjah, Axar finished the game with some nonchalance with a slog-sweep, and shots over long-off and down the ground in the final over.

Varun Chakravarthy

Life is all about second chances. 29-year-old Varun Chakravarthy pulled out of IPL 2019 after just one game due to a shoulder strain, sending his IPL dreams up in smoke.

The mystery spinner's successes for Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing IPL is a heart-warming tale of hope and redemption. Hailing from Tamil Nadu, India, Chakravarthy, who was languishing in the TNCA fourth division league in 2018-19, impressed Tamil Nadu’s Ranji batsmen with his bowling variations in the nets. Kolkata Knight Rider's former captain 

Dinesh Karthik has played an influential role in Chakravarthy's success, from bringing him into the franchise to making sure he is mentally and physically fit for the tournament. Chakravarthy's repertoire includes a leg-spinner, the carrom ball, the leg-cutter, the off-spinner, the flipper, the top-spinner, and the arm ball. Maturity and a calm mind are the latest additions, and they are serving him well.