India, Aug. 9 -- By S.N. Venkatnag Sobers

He's not Chulbul Pandey, the reel-life cop known for taking down rivals with style. But the Pandeyji in question here is a real-life warrior on the cricket field - one of the most prolific and sought-after cricketers Karnataka has produced in the modern era.

Manish Pandey, burst onto the domestic circuit in the 2006-07 season and went on to make his international debut for India in 2015 against Zimbabwe in both ODIs and T20s. He etched his name in history, as the first Indian to score a century in the IPL, smashing an unbeaten 114 off just 73 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore against the now-defunct Deccan Chargers in the 2009 season.

A constant presence in every IPL season since its incept...