Abhimanyu Mithun spent his early teenage years striving for success in athletics and the discus throw, and didn't bowl with a leather ball until he was 17. Three years later, after a successful Ranji debut season in 2009-10, the fast bowler forced his way into the national squad for the Test series against South Africa, but didn't make the playing XI. In the one-dayers against South Africa he debuted in Ahmedabad, and five months later debuted in Tests on the tour of Sri Lanka. Since then he has been in and out of the national squad, often called up as replacements for injured players.

Mithun has the build for a quick bowler, honed at his fathers gym in Bangalore. He is 6' 2" tall, a height he uses to increase the effectiveness of his favourite weapon, the bouncer. He relies heavily on his pace, which is what caught coach Ray Jennings' eye during the trials for the Royal Challengers Bangalore before the 2009 IPL. While he didn't make much of a splash in that tournament, he had the batsmen hopping in the Ranji season that followed, heading the charts by capturing 47 wickets to power Karnataka to their first finals in more than a decade.

Siddarth Ravindran