Paul Valthaty

Hailing from the state of Andhra Pradesh, Paul Valthaty is a top-order batsman and an occasional medium-pace bowler. He was a part of India’s Under-19 squad in the 2002 World Cup with the likes of Irfan Pathan and Parthiv Patel but could not play due to an eye injury that halted his progress. For years, he could not make it to the big stage except for a single one-dayer for Mumbai in 2006.

He was not into high-profile cricket for long until he was picked by the Rajasthan Royals in 2009 for IPL season 2 where he played a couple of matches. It then led to his selection for Mumbai’s Twenty20 side. A few powerful performances there earned him a spot in the Kings XI Punjab in 2011 for the fourth IPL season. He immediately shot to fame in season 4 when he smashed a stunning hundred followed by an all-round performance in the next game.