Before his alleged involvement in spot-fixing, Ankeet Chavan was known in cricketing circles as a reliable left-arm spinner, while Ajit Chandila hit the headlines with a hat-trick in the 2012 IPL
ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2013Ankeet ChavanAnkeet Chavan may now be in the news for all the wrong reasons but the Mumbai bowler had been steadily progressing over the last five years as a reliable left-arm orthodox spinner and a useful batsman lower down the order.Having started as a middle-order batsman and a spinner on the of Mumbai, Chavan made his debut for Mumbai in the 2008-09 season. Earlier this year, he emerged as Mumbai’s leading spinner during their 40th title triumph. He eclipsed Iqbal Abdulla to emerge as the No. 1 spinner in the side and also played his part in the win, as Mumbai’s highest wicket-taker of the season.The highlight of his career came during a Group A game against Punjab. Playing at the Wankhede Stadium, Chavan single-handedly brought Mumbai back into the game with a nine-wicket haul, after the side had conceded a sizeable first innings lead. Though the match was eventually drawn, his spell of 9 for 23 earned Chavan accolades from Punjab skipper, Harbhajan Singh.Even when he was away from the first-class scene for two years after making his debut, he was more or less a permanent fixture for Mumbai in the domestic one-day and Twenty20 championships. As a result, Chavan, who was a member of the Mumbai Indians’ set-up in the inaugural IPL season, was signed up by Rajasthan Royals in 2011 and was a quiet performer for the franchise over the last three seasons. Exactly two years since his debut in 2011, Chavan was picked up by Delhi Police, hours after representing Royals in his hometown.Ajit ChandilaAjit Chandila is a Haryana offspinner who struggled to make his state side but hit the headlines with a hat-trick in the 2012 IPL. In seven years since his Haryana debut, he barely got a handful of games for Haryana and was more active on the club circuit, playing for nondescript clubs like Hari Singh Cricket Academy in Ghaziabad. He is an established name in Delhi cricket circles, and was part of a strong Air India side for several years, and was mentored by former India legspinner Narendra Hirwani.Chandila – another of those left-field successes that Royals seem to routinely throw up – has a relaxed action, doesn’t flight or spin the ball much, but relied on a nagging accuracy to prove effective in the IPL. He used his height well, and had a pause in his delivery stride to gauge what the batsman was attempting.He was picked for eight matches by Royals in the 2013 season, and was only taken for 6.24 runs an over, a better economy-rate than IPL stalwarts like Lasith Malinga and R Ashwin. One of his on-field highlights of the season was to become the first bowler to dismiss both Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting in the same match.
