Akila Dananjaya

Sri Lanka is a country known to produce unconventional spinners. Dananjaya is the latest one in that list. Having not played a first class game, Dananjaya was picked for the 2012 T20 WC. Mahela Jayawardene was so impressed by the youngsters control of the googly, carrom ball, leg-break, doosra and off-spinner, that he convinced the selectors to fast track him to the national side. Dananjaya did not disappoint as he played 4 games and picked up 7 wickets at an average of 13 and an economy under 7.

However, he only played one more game before being dropped. He was also overlooked for the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. With the success in the T20 World Cup, Dananjaya was snapped up by the Chennai Super Kings during the 2013 edition for $20,000.

Revolving doors of Sri Lankan cricket meant that Dhananjaya could never settle himself in the national team. Having played a handful of T20Is, he found himself completely out of favour with the national selectors for four long years. He was eventually recalled to the national team during the home season of 2017 and promptly made an immediate impact, grabbing career-best figures of four for 47 against the visiting Zimbabweans. It wasn't an one-off achievement, two days after his marriage, he claimed six for 54 against India, thereby cementing his place for the immediate future.