Odean Smith: West Indian players starring in the IPL is a constant sight to see. Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Keiron Pollard, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are some of the prominent names and have achieved so much for their franchises over the years. Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are as much a part of their franchise as the franchise itself, Chris Gayle has two orange caps, and the most sixes, while Dwayne Bravo recently equalled Lasith Malinga for the most wickets.

While West Indies has produced a rich group of all-rounders, it looks like another big hitting all-rounder in their mould seems to be coming out. Odean Smith, the new star, is already a big name across franchise tournaments, coming to light in the CPL. With the bat he is as explosive as anyone, and has a 130 metre six to his name, from the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament. his technique is like his previous stars, but one variety is his ability to use the off-side.

While the likes of Pollard and Russell keep targeting the V, Odean Smith is more flexible as he has a wide range of shots, taking on the off-side making it tougher for sides to set fields for the big hitter. With the ball, Odean Smith continues to be a bundle of talent. His first game didn’t go well at all, but his pace was right up their. He can touch speeds of 145+ with ease, is explosive, and just needs to work on his rhythm. With his pace, improvement in rhythm will make him an incredible bowler and with Rabada, PBKS will have a strong pace combo.

Against Bangalore, with a target of 205, Odean Smith walked in while the side was under pressure. In normal circumstances, PBKS are known to crumble under pressure in such moments and were on their way to make the task tougher. Another strong finisher in Shah Rukh Khan, was out in the middle but was struggling for timing. With Shah Rukh Khan not able to take off, Odean Smith took the initiative and went after Bangalore’s bowlers.

He took on Harshal Patel and Mohammad Siraj, hitting three sixes in a 25 run Siraj over. Odean Smith finished with 25 off just eight balls, winning the man of the match award in his first IPL game. He handled the pressure well, and came out with a brilliant cameo to take the game away from Bangalore. Before the game, India didn’t know too much about Odean Smith.

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His pace has already damaged Chris Gayle’s bat, and his batting has also damaged Sheldon Cottrell’s car. His talent was noticed in India after a decent series against the Indians. In the second ODI, with a stiff target, Odean Smith played a couple of good shots to gain attention. He couldn’t carry the team home, but some powerful hits and fast bowling helped him get into the spotlight, and franchises started to take note of the all-rounder.

He is full of talent and has started his IPL career in style. The tournament has a rich history of West Indies stars, and Odean Smith has a long way to go before creating his own legacy in the tournament. He has the potential, but it is still to be seen if he can withstand his early success and make consistent contributions in the tournament without falling away after a brilliant start.

He has got his team off to a great start and is giving them wonderful depth and options with bat and ball as the side has some incredible talent overall. While Odean Smith is still work in progress, he has announced himself and said hello to the IPL.