Axar Patel and Ibrahim Zadran. (Source – Getty Images)

The group stage of the T20 World Cup 2024 is approaching its end. While many matches had results, some of the matches ended without a ball being bowled due to the rain interruptions and wet outfields. Such matches had a massive say on the qualification of a few teams. Many teams have had their ups and downs, while some teams have had an easy journey so far.

Bowlers have dominated the tournament so far with their disciplined attack. Batters have found it difficult to score runs due to the nature of the pitches. While some players have been appreciated enough if not more for their performances in the tournament so far, others have gone unnoticed despite doing well for their team in some important situations.

Here are the most underrated players at the end of the league stage of the T20 World Cup 2024:

10. Axar Patel

Axar Patel has done well for India both as a batter and as a bowler. On a difficult wicket to bat on like New York, Axar was promoted up the order against Pakistan. The Southpaw scored 20 (18) and helped India in scoring at a good rate. With the ball, the left-arm orthodox spinner has claimed 3 wickets in as many innings at a bowling average of 13.00, but the Gujarat-born has been a miser with the ball, which proved to be crucial in India’s victory against Babar Azam’s men.

9. Arshdeep Singh

Much like Axar, the performances of Arshdeep Singh have been overshadowed by the excellence of Jasprit Bumrah. The left-arm pacer played a handy knock of 9(13) and claimed 1/31 with the ball in the game against Pakistan. Against Ireland and the USA, the Guna-born bowled extremely well and finished with figures of 2/35 and 4/9 respectively.

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8. Sherfane Rutherford

Sherfane Rutherford has played a couple of good knocks under difficult circumstances. While he did not have a great start to the tournament, the Southpaw scored 22 off 16 in the game against Papua New Guinea. But his knock of the tournament so far has been against New Zealand. His 68*(39) helped the West Indies to knock the Kiwis out of the tournament.

7. Tristan Stubbs

Tristan Stubbs’ overall numbers don’t seem that great. But his crucial cameos have been helpful for South Africa under pressure. Coming in at 12/4 against the Netherlands, the right-handed batter scored 33 off 37, going out of his comfort zone to anchor the chase. Against Nepal, his cameo of 18-ball 27 helped the African team to post a decent total on the board.

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6. Kushal Bhurtel

Kushal Bhurtel’s performances for Nepal have not been appreciated enough. In the match against South Africa, the part-time bowler stepped up and helped his team put up a fight in the game. His 4/19 helped them to restrict the Proteas to a score of just 115 runs. Even as an opener, he scored 7(10) against the Netherlands and attempted to anchor the run chase with his 13(21) against Aiden Markram & Co.

5. Gudakesh Motie

Gudakesh Motie has been one of the best bowlers of the West Indies in the tournament. He started the tournament on a decent note with a spell of 1/24 against PNG. He bowled a good spell against Uganda and claimed 1/6 in his 2 overs. Against New Zealand, his spell was decisive. The left-arm orthodox spinner claimed 3/25 to help the Windies maintain their winning streak.

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4. Taskin Ahmed

Taskin Ahmed is one of the main reasons for the good performances of Bangladesh so far. Against Sri Lanka, the right-arm pacer claimed 2/25 in his spell of 4 overs. He followed it up with a brilliant spell of 2/19 in his 4 overs against South Africa. In the match against the Netherlands, his spell of 2/30 helped Bangladesh to restrict the Dutch to a low total. Sadly, he has gone unnoticed due to Mustafizur Rahman and Tanzim Hasan Sakib’s outstanding spells in the league stages.

3. Alzarri Joseph

Alzarri Joseph had a forgettable IPL 2024. However, the pacer has come back in style in the home World Cup by taking a heap of wickets every match. Against PNG, the right-arm pacer claimed 2/34 in his spell of 4 overs. The express pacer backed it up with a spell of 2/6 in the match against Uganda. Against the BlackCaps, he claimed a brilliant 4/19 in 4 overs.

Also Check: T20 World Cup 2024 Stats

2. Ibrahim Zadran

Batting has been difficult in the ongoing tournament. Ibrahim Zadran has been one of the few batters to have succeeded as a batter. The Afghanistan batter has 114 runs in 3 innings at a batting average of 38.00 and an SR of 121.28. His scores in the group stages were 70(46), 44(41), and 0(7) against Uganda, New Zealand, and PNG respectively.

1. Mehran Khan

Mehran Khan has been good as a batter and brilliant as a bowler for Oman. With the bat, Mehran scored 27(16) and 13(10) against Australia and Scotland respectively.

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With the ball, he claimed 6 wickets in 3 innings against all the better teams in the group. His figures with the ball read 3/7, 2/38, and 1/16 against Namibia, Australia, and Scotland respectively.