Three times in three separate high-stakes situations across the IPL editions of 2023, 2024, and 2026, one figure has appeared at the decisive moment — not to launch the ball into the stands, but simply to run. Avesh Khan, primarily known for his pace bowling, has carved out an unlikely secondary identity: the composed, non-scoring presence who completes the job when one run separates his side from victory. It is a niche that has gone largely unexamined, yet its consistency across three different contexts makes it worth understanding.
What It Actually Takes to Win Without Scoring
There is a persistent assumption in high-pressure run chases that the person holding the bat in the final delivery must be a recognized batter. The pressure of needing a single run off a final delivery does not diminish simply because the number is small — if anything, it amplifies. The fielding side is alert, the fielders are positioned aggressively, and any hesitation or poor running judgment ends the contest immediately. Running a bye, completing a leg-bye, or simply anticipating a missed delivery requires concentration and physical readiness that is often underestimated.
In the 2023 encounter between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, LSG had reduced themselves to a precarious position early in the chase of 212, only for the middle order to rebuild steadily. When the final ball arrived with one run needed, Avesh Khan did not face it — Ravi Bishnoi did. When Bishnoi missed the delivery, Avesh ran a bye with enough composure to cross safely. He contributed zero runs off zero balls. The win was credited to the batting order. Avesh's role was invisible to the scoreboard.
The 2024 Chapter — A Different Franchise, the Same Instinct
By 2024, Avesh Khan had moved to Rajasthan Royals and had contributed meaningfully with the ball in a high-scoring contest against Kolkata Knight Riders, taking the wickets of two experienced international batters during KKR's innings of 223. When the chase came down to one run off the final delivery with Jos Buttler on strike, Avesh was at the non-striker's end. Buttler nudged the ball to the leg side and called for the run. Avesh completed it. He had not faced a single delivery across the entire innings. His name will appear in the scorecard only as a bowler, yet he ran the decisive run of a chase that reached 223.
What this instance demonstrates is that Avesh's presence in close-finish situations is not a function of circumstance with one particular franchise or in one particular role. The 2024 situation involved a different employer, a different bowling innings, and a different primary batter completing the run. The common thread was Avesh's alertness and physical readiness at the critical moment.
2026 and the Emergence of a Recognized Pattern
The LSG versus KKR encounter at Eden Gardens in 2026 brought the pattern into full view. With LSG chasing 181 and the middle order having rescued the innings through Mukul Choudhary and Ayush Badoni, the equation again arrived at one run off one ball. This time, Mukul missed the delivery. Avesh, standing at the non-striker's end, ran hard and made it safely to the crease. On this occasion, the single was credited to him — the only run he scored in the innings, and the one that sealed the result.
Across three such moments spanning three editions, Avesh has been the non-striking presence in situations that required one run. In one instance he ran a bye, in another he completed a called run, and in the third he was awarded the run directly. The specifics differ. The outcome does not.
Why This Matters Beyond the Obvious
The popular framework for evaluating all-round contributions focuses on runs scored and wickets taken. Auxiliary contributions — fielding, running between the wickets, presence under pressure — rarely enter the analytical conversation. Avesh Khan's three-occasion record forces a reassessment of what it means to be a valuable contributor in critical moments.
Fast bowlers are not typically selected for their composure under pressure as non-striking batters. They are selected to bowl. Yet the composition of a batting order means that fast bowlers will often occupy the final positions during a chase, and in close finishes, their ability to run, read the situation, and stay calm becomes consequential. Avesh's record suggests this is a skill, not an accident. Whether that recognition translates into how support roles are evaluated and valued at the selection and analytical level remains an open question — but it is one that his record has now made difficult to ignore.