Paul Valthaty

A top-order batsman who occasionally bowls medium-pace, Paul Valthaty shot into the limelight with a blistering century for Kings XI Punjab in the 2011 IPL season. Valthaty had a nondescript career till then, since making his way up the levels of age group cricket in Mumbai during the late 1990s. He made India's Under-19 squad to the 2002 World Cup with the likes of Irfan Pathan and Parthiv Patel where an injury to his eye in the game against Bangladesh halted his development. He couldn't make the breakthrough into senior cricket for years, and got just one opportunity for Mumbai, a one-dayer in 2006. There was no high-profile cricket for him for another few years, till Rajasthan Royals punted on him in the 2009 season, where he played a couple of matches. That earned him a place in Mumbai's Twenty20 side, and he turned in a few powerful performances for them, which led to a contract with Kings XI Punjab in 2011.
Cricinfo Staff (April 2011)