We all know that one of the most successful players in the history of the Indian Premier League Chris Gayle remained unsold in the 2011 IPL auction and later he came in as a replacement for the injured fast bowler Dirk Nannes to play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
What happened afterward has almost become a folklore as Gayle single-handedly guided RCB to the IPL final that year which they eventually lost to the Chennai Super Kings.
Another West Indian Lendl Simmons did almost the same in the year 2015 when he came on as a replacement for the injured Aaron Finch to inspire Mumbai Indians side to their second IPL trophy. Mumbai, last year, were off to a disastrous start and they were languishing at the bottom of the table.
The arrival of Simmons sparked a remarkable turnaround as they went on to win eight of their last 10 games to qualify for the qualifiers. Simmons scored 540 runs in just 13 games and provided his team the solidity they were looking for.
This year too, the Mumbai Indians have roped in the Kiwi opener Martin Guptill to replace the injured Lendl Simmons who played so well for them last year. But they would hope Guptill to replicate what Simmons did for them last year as they are off to a dismal start once again.
So, as injuries are part and parcel of a cricketer’s life and given the long duration of the IPL there might be injuries to the key players at some crucial junctures in the tournament, we have tried to pick 5 players who can be used as replacements in the IPL.
We have tried to analyze amongst the players who remained unsold in this year’s auction. Successful players in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 like Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi and Jason Roy didn’t take part in this year’s auction and so they are not in the list. Here is the list that we have selected:
1. Usman Khawaja
The elegant left-hander from Australia surprisingly remained unsold at this year’s IPL auction despite some outstanding performances in the Big Bash League. He scored 345 runs in just 4 games at an astonishing average of 172.50 to guide his team Sydney Thunder to Big Bash glory.
Khawaja also played in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 in India and did a decent job for the side. He scored 143 runs in the 4 games and provided a good start to his team. However, his team crashed out in the Super 10 stage.
He has a solid technique and can be a great option at the top of the order. As a replacement, Khawaja can perfectly fit the bill.
2. Chris Jordan
The England fast bowler is known for his exemplary death bowling skills and he performed exceptionally well bowling at the death for the England team in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016.
Jordan bowled an excellent penultimate over in the final of the world cup in which he conceded only 8 runs. However, Ben Stokes couldn’t defend 19 runs in the last over as West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite hit him for four consecutive sixes to seal a memorable win for the West Indies.
Jordan is more than a useful batsman too and can hit lusty blows coming down the order. Any team in the IPL can be extremely benefitted by Jordan’s all-round abilities and he can provide solutions to death-bowling woes with his death bowling expertise.
3. Ravi Bopara
The talented England all-rounder Ravi Bopara had an excellent Pakistan Super League with both bat and ball. He was the second highest run-getter in the Pakistan Super League with 329 runs in 9 games and his strike rate was 132.12. He was decent with the ball too as he picked up 11 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 6.90
Bopara played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in last year’s IPL and his performances were not that bad. He scored 145 runs at an average of 29 and picked up 6 wickets in the 9 games he played. However, he could never set the IPL on fire.
Given his recent performances, Bopara can really be a worthy replacement and play his part well if given a chance to play in this year’s IPL. On slow pitches, his bowling can be deadly effective
4. Kevon Cooper
The Trinidad-born all-rounder Kevon Keston Cooper played in the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals in 2012 and 2013. He was quite decent with the ball as he picked up 29 wickets in the 20 matches he played in the lucrative league.
He is someone who plays in different T20 leagues across the world and he has a decent T20 record at his disposal. Kevon Cooper was the highest wicket taker in the season 3 of the Bangladesh Premier League in 2015 as he picked up 22 wickets while playing for the Barisal Bulls
Cooper played in the Pakistan Super League too and picked up 6 wickets in the 7 matches he played. He can bowl yorkers regularly and can be an effective option at the death for the captains. The problem with him is his bowling action, which has been reported time and time again.
However, with a previous IPL experience in his kitty, Cooper can be a worthy replacement for any team.
5. Tamim Iqbal
The elegant Bangladesh opener had a great ICC T20 World Cup 2016 where he scored 295 runs in the 6 games he played. He also scored a hundred in the tournament and he provided Bangladesh the start they were looking for.
Not only for Bangladesh, the southpaw played brilliantly in the Pakistan Super League too. He scored 267 runs in the 6 games he played and was 5th in the top run-scorers’ list.
Tamim is someone who can get the team off to a flier with his natural strokeplay and can be drafted into any squad in the IPL given his performances. If any team is looking for a replacement for an injured overseas player, Tamim’s name should definitely cross its mind.
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