Injuries are a part of any outdoor sport and cricket is no exception in this regard. Injuries do play a vital role in determining the future of a team during a tournament like the Indian Premier league.
This year’s edition of the cash-rich tournament has seen several players getting ruled out of the tournament due to injuries which prompted fans to dub it as the “Injury Premier League”. More than eleven players have already missed a major part of the season due to injury problems.
Big names like Faf du Plessis, Kevin Pietersen, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Shaun Marsh have already been ruled out of the tournament due to their respective injuries. These players were bought or retained as the marquee players for a large sum of money.
Here we take a look at the history of the tournament and find out cricketers who also missed most of a season due to crucial injuries after being acquired by their respective franchises as big signings.
#1 Chris Gayle (2008) – Kolkata Knight Riders
The big Jamaican is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world and especially in the shortest format. After lighting up the inaugural World T20 in 2007 with a hundred the left-handed top order batsman asserted his authority as one of the biggest to watch out for the future.
He was acquired by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the auctions by a mammoth US $ 800,000 but missed the entire season due to a fetal groin injury. The absence of the explosive batsman at the top of the order hurt KKR badly as the finished the season at the No.6 position on the points table with only 6 wins out of 14 matches.
#2 Andrew Flintoff (2009) – Chennai Super Kings
In the 2009 IPL auctions, the English all-rounder went to Chennai Super kings for US $ 1.55 million, which made him the highest-paid cricketer in IPL with fellow national teammate Kevin Pietersen. The Chennai-based franchise was runners-up the last season and the inclusion of the English all-rounder made them a strong title contender.
Flintoff had a steady start to his IPL career as he played his first match in Newlands against Mumbai Indians. However, Flintoff endured a knee injury and had to return home for surgery. Interestingly, he never played in IPL again as he announced his retirement from international cricket the same year.
#3 Lasith Malinga (2008) – Mumbai Indians
The Sri Lankan is one of the most lethal fast bowlers in the shortest format of the game. He bowls the Yorkers at will and has excellent control over his abilities. The right-arm pacer’s accuracy and consistency made him a big name at the international stage. Malinga was bought by Mumbai Indians for US $ 350,000 in the 2008 auctions.
The speed star always had problems with injuries in his career and a fatal knee injury ruled him out of the tournament. The Mumbai bowling attack suffered a big deal in the absence of the Galle-born pacer. The man with the most number of IPL wickets in history missed two out of the nine editions of the tournament due to injuries.
#4 Kevin Pietersen (2013) – Delhi Daredevils
The right-handed English batsman is known as the one of the biggest hitters of the cricket ball. The South Africa-born cricket has been one of the finest ever batsmen to serve the Three lions team. As the shortest format of the game calls for big hitters, he was acquired by Delhi Daredevils in 2012 as one of the highest paid cricketers of the tournament.
However, KP has a standing relationship with injuries as he missed the entire campaign with a knee injury. The Delhi-team was virtually shattered by the absence of their marquee player as they ended the tournament as the bottom ranked team with only three victories in the season.
#5 Sachin Tendulkar (2008) – Mumbai Indians
In the inaugural edition of the IPL, the Master Blaster along with other four other Indian stars were classified as “icon” players. They represented their hometown franchises and hence didn’t take part in the auctions. The status of icon player also made them the highest earning player in their respective teams.
These icon players were also named as the captain of their teams. Things didn’t start off well for the two-time champions Mumbai Indians as the God of cricket sustained a groin injury which forced him to sit on the sidelines for half of the season.
Tendulkar played only 7 matches in that year’s edition which proved to be crucial for his team as the finished the tournament at the No.5 position on the points table with 7 victories out of 14.
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