IPL 2022: Current stars who have never played for their hometown's teams

An all-embracing once-in-a-year global event, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is about to enter its 15th edition in the coming weeks. The new season is set to begin on March 26 with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) locking horns at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai for the opening clash.

The IPL is akin to a festival in India, and it has grown in popularity since its start in 2008. The league has seen as many as 15 franchises, including the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, Pune Warriors, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Gujarat Lions, and Rising Pune Supergiant.

In total, 12 cities have been represented in the league, and a large percentage of players have got the opportunity to represent their native towns. Players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, and Virender Sehwag played for teams based in their hometowns.

Among current players, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Suryakumar Yadav have also played for IPL teams representing their respective cities.

But there are some players who are yet to play for the team that bears the name of their home state or town. Here are 5 big IPL stars who belong to that category.

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#5 Prithvi Shaw - Never played for Mumbai Indians in IPL

Despite being from Mumbai, Prithvi Shaw has been away from Mumbai Indians team

Considered as one of the most talented young Indian batters, Prithvi Shaw has only played for a single franchise - Delhi Capitals. The aggressive opener has a touch of class and elegance in his strokeplay and bats with attacking intent, especially during the powerplay.

The right-hander was long touted to be India's next big thing in cricket. Due to this, the Capitals bought him for just ₹1.2 crore in 2018. Initially, he didn't get the opportunity to start for his team. However, a dip in Gautam Gambhir's form opened the gate for the 2018 U19 World Cup winner.

Since then, the Mumbai-born batter has featured in 58 IPL games for the Delhi Capitals, scoring 1,305 runs at a strike rate of 146.30. He flourished in his role of giving his team explosive starts. Thanks to this, DC retained him for ₹7.50 crore ahead of the upcoming season.

At 22 years of age, Shaw is still in the early days of his career and there's a high possibility that he could feature for Mumbai Indians in the future.

View the IPL Orange Cap Winners here.

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#4 Deepak Chahar - Never played for Rajasthan Royals

Deepak Chahar has made a name for himself through his performances in the league

Born in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Deepak Chahar plied his trade in domestic cricket for Rajasthan. In his Ranji debut, he took eight wickets and bowled out Hyderabad for just 21 runs - the lowest total in Ranji Trophy history.

His control of the new ball and ability to generate swing made Royal Pune Supergiant buy him for the 2016 and 2017 season. He didn't get enough opportunities, though, and ended up playing just five matches for the now-defunct team.

At the 2018 auction, CSK snapped up the pacer for ₹70 lakh. He prospered with the Yellow army and was pivotal in the side's triumphs in 2018 and 2021. So far, Chahar has played 63 games in the tournament, claiming 59 wickets at an economy rate of 7.80.

The Rajasthan-based seamer was part of Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) squad in 2011 and 2012, but did not earn any game time.

Chahar was the second-most expensive buy at the recent IPL mega auction when CSK brought him back at a cost of ₹14 crore. With a quadriceps tear, the 29-year-old will not be available for the first few weeks of this season.

#3 Dinesh Karthik - Never played for Chennai Super Kings

Dinesh Karthik has been a veteran in the IPL

Dinesh Karthik, who has played for six different IPL franchises, is a true veteran of the high-profile tournament. Starting his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Karthik's list of IPL franchises includes Kings XI Punjab, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Mumbai Indians (MI), Gujarat Lions (GL), and KKR.

Hailing from the city of Chennai, Karthik has never had an opportunity to play for CSK. Due to the presence of the legendary MS Dhoni in that team, there was no space for a wicketkeeper-batsman like him.

DK, on the other hand, has remarked on multiple occasions that he would love to don the CSK jersey once in his life.

The 36-year old has featured in 213 IPL matches so far, scoring 4,046 runs at an average of 25.77 and a strike rate of 129.72.

Establishing himself as one of the most reliable finishers in the league, Karthik even captained KKR in 2018 and 2019. He, however, gave up his duties midway through the 2020 season.

The right-hander will make his comeback for the Bangalore-based franchise this season as he was picked by RCB for ₹5.50 crore at the IPL 2022 mega auction.

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#2. Shreyas Iyer - Never played for Mumbai Indians

Shreyas Iyer has been part of Delhi Capitals since 2015

Similar to Shaw, Shreyas Iyer is also a Mumbaikar who had played only for the Delhi Capitals in his IPL career till the 2021 season. However, in a couple of weeks from now, Iyer will be seen captaining KKR, who splurged ₹12.25 crore on the flamboyant batter.

The 27-year-old began his IPL career on a fantastic note, scoring 439 runs in his debut season in 2015 and earning the emerging player award. But the 2018 season proved to be a breakthrough year for him as he became the captain of Delhi Capitals after Gautam Gambhir dropped himself midway through the season.

For DC, Iyer has scored 2,375 runs in 87 matches at an average of 31.66 and a strike rate of 123.95. The Mumbaikar is yet to play for Mumbai Indians, and it does not appear that he will in the near future, given that KKR have made a considerable investment in him.

Before the 2016 season, Mumbai Indians attempted to acquire Iyer through a trade. They even offered three players in exchange, including Aaron Finch, but Delhi turned down the offer.

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#1 Virat Kohli - Never played for Delhi Capitals

Virat Kohli is among the most influential players in the history of the IPL.

Virat Kohli is arguably the most consistent and prominent player the IPL has seen since its inception. Part of the RCB roster right from 2008, Kohli is the only player to play for a single franchise over such a long duration.

The right-hander is one of the best batsmen ever in the limited-overs format and his plethora of records in the IPL are a testament to that. The highest run-getter of all-time in the league; the highest run-scorer in a single edition; the player with most 50+ scores in a single season; and the only player to feature in three different 200+ partnerships; are just a few of the achievements Kohli has to his name.

In 207 IPL matches, the Delhi-born batter has amassed a massive 6,283 runs at an average of 37.40, with a strike rate of 129.95. He has 42 half-centuries and as many as five tons to his name. In 2012, he was named the skipper of the franchise and led them to the IPL 2016 Final.

Delhi Daredevils (now DC) had the chance to pick the Delhi lad during the draft for U19 players in 2008. The Daredevils, however, chose Pradeep Sangwan over Kohli, and it was RCB who capitalized on the opportunity by drafting him in.

Ahead of IPL 2019, Kohli showed how much faith he had in RCB by declaring that he would perhaps end his career with RCB and wouldn't go to any other team.