Bengaluru, September 30: Amit Mishra, the veteran Delhi Capitals leg spinner, is one of the most unsung heroes in Indian Premier League (IPL) history.
With his two wickets against Sunrisers Hyderabad in a losing cause at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday (September 29) night, Mishra now has 159 wickets in IPL history, just 11 short of the all-time record held by Mumbai Indians' Sri Lankan import Lasith Malinga.
But unlike the flamboyant Malinga, Mishra has done his job quitely and often does not get his credit due for his contributions to the team.
Mishra, who last played international cricket in 2016, has featured in all the 13 editions of the cash-rich IPL tournament since its inception 2008.
Despite the Twenty20 tournament being generally considered a graveyard for the bowlers, the Delhi-born Mishra is enjoying the challenges thrown up at him and his ilk by the shortest format in cricket.
"When T20 was new, I always ended up hearing that it was not a leg-spinner's game, and that really motivated me. I always made the effort to make an impact and become more valuable," Mishra had told media over a virtual press conference ahead of the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The craftly leggie believes his role in the team evolves in every match and that he was relishing it to the hilt.
"The role keeps on evolving in every match -- sometimes you try to bowl dots, but most of the times you try to be a wicket-taker and that eventually puts pressure on the batting side," added Mishra.
To Mishra's credit goes the the record of being the only bowler in IPL to claim a hat-ticket three times.
Despite the slam-bang nature of the format, Mishra opined that leg spinners have a better chance of taking wickets becuase of they variations they bring in.
"A leg spinner has more variety and hence there're more chances of taking wickets. However, it needs a lot of hard work too,'' concluded Mishra.