When he was selected for the 2002 ICC U-19 World Cup along with the likes of Irfan Pathan and Stuart Binny, Paul Valthaty was considered to be the next big thing in Mumbai cricket. But an eye injury forced him to leave the World Cup midway. Thereafter, Valthaty never looked the player he was in his teens – until IPL 2011. The 29-year-old was the find of IPL 2011; little known until then, he outshone the likes of Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh by blazing away at the start of the innings. He even went on to score a century, which put him in an elite league of Indian players who have notched up three-figure scores in the IPL.