First leg of IPL 7 throw up surprise heroes

CHENNAI: They were unknown commodity not too long ago, but the first leg of IPL 7 has given birth to new stars.
The likes of Yuzvendra Chahal (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Ishwar Pandey (Chennai Super Kings), Suryakumar Yadav (Kolkata Knight Riders), Sandeep Sharma (Kings XI Punjab) and Kane Richardson (Rajasthan Royals) have proved to be surprise packages in the season so far.
Chahal has been RCB skipper Virat Kohli's go-to man this season.The 23-year-old Haryana leg-spinner is the second-most economical bowler in the tournament, pocketing 5 wickets from as many games at an impressive 5.31 runs an over. "He (Chahal) has been doing a tremendous job for us. I have told him to keep attacking and it's great to see him bowl well," Kohli said.
For two-time champions Chennai Super Kings, pacer Ishwar Pandey has done well. The 24-year-old may have just picked 3 wickets from 4 clashes, but his impressive economy-rate of 5.86 has meant that batsmen have failed to get going against him.
He came in place of Ashish Nehra after the first game and Pandey showed that he is up for the challenge, doing well with the new ball. "The new boys are gelling in well and that's a plus for us," MS Dhoni said during CSK's four-match winning streak at UAE.
Just like Chahal and Pandey, Sandeep and Richardson haven't been too far behind. Sandeep has added firepower to Kings XI's bowling attack, taking 7 wickets from 3 games at an average of 8.85. His skipper George Bailey has been effusive in his praise for the 20-year-old. "It's great to see him develop, and he has got great confidence in what he wants to do which makes my job easier," Bailey said.
Rajasthan's Richardson, who was with Sahara Pune Warriors last season, too has made his mark with 6 scalps from 4 matches. After the nail-biting finish against Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan skipper Shane Watson mentioned how James Faulkner and Richardson kept their nerve during tense moments. "It is good to see Kane (Richardson) and James (Faulkner) deliver tidy stuff in the closing stages of the match," Watson said.
Suryakumar Yadav was a surprise pick for KKR in the auctions ahead of the home boys like Manoj Tiwary and Laxmi Ratan Shukla, but the Mumbai youngster has shown the temperament of a good finisher.