The IPL extravaganza has gained its full momentum. With the playoffs coming close, teams on the top of the table are trying their best to stay there while teams at the bottom of the table will try to stay away from getting the wooden spoon.
In the quest to achieve the right combinations, teams have benched some of the high profile T20 stars. There are teams like RCB who are light in the bowling department and would do well with some of the bowlers that the other teams are not playing.
Some of the high-profile players on the bench can win matches on their own if given the chance but their misfortune has made them warm the bench. Let’s have a look at 5 such prolific T20 players who are warming the bench in the IPL but could have been the superstars of the tournament had they been picked by other teams.
1) Corey Anderson
Corey Anderson was once an integral part of the Mumbai Indians set up but has failed to play a single game this season. A belligerent left-handed batsman, he can take apart any bowling attack on his day as he showed when he knocked Rajasthan Royals out to seal a spot for his team in the playoffs a couple of seasons ago.
His left arm seamers are also quite efficient as he can bowl at any stage of the match. A genuine match-winning allrounder, Anderson must wonder if how well he could have performed had he been picked by some other team in IPL.
The Kings XI Punjab and Rising Pune Supergiants seem to be the ideal teams who could have done well with the services of this southpaw. Both these teams look light on foreign bowling talent and Anderson provides the added incentive of big hitting. It is really disheartening to see a player like Anderson warm the bench in IPL.
2) Imran Tahir
Imran Tahir is amongst one of the best T20 spinners in the World alongside Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine. Yet he has managed to play only a handful of games this IPL for his franchise Delhi Daredevils.
Blessed with an outstanding pool of foreign talent, the Daredevils find it hard to play Tahir as they have a wonderful domestic leg spinner in Amit Mishra. But the amount of experience and talent Tahir has, he definitely deserves to get more matches in IPL.
Imagine Tahir being a part of the RCB setup, he would have been revered like a god in that setup which lacks quality bowlers let alone spinners. Tahir might have ended amongst the highest wicket takers of the league had he been picked by RCB as he would played almost every match and his wicket taking abilities are lower to none.
Viewers are unlucky to not witness many Tahir celebrations this IPL.
3) Martin Guptill
Martin Guptill was a late addition to this IPL as he came as a replacement for Lendl Simmons. One of the pillars of the Kiwi limited overs team, Guptill was unlucky to have not been picked up in the IPL auction and his misfortune continued as he was picked up by a team that has only made him warm the bench.
One of the consistent T20 openers in the world, Guptill’s batting prowess would have been ideally utilised by a team like Kings XI Punjab which is in need for an explosive opener. With the likes of Miller and Maxwell out of form, Guptill would have provided the much-needed batting strength to the Punjab side.
The Kiwi opener has all the capabilities to lighten up the IPL with his exquisite stroke play provided he gets the right amount of chances. Guptill though became a part of the IPL caravan this time but he deserved more chances than he has received.
4) Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan’s IPL season has been an enigma. He came into this IPL having performed exceptionally well in the domestic competitions. Those performances were so impressive that there were many fans in the country asking for his inclusion in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup.
Having created so much hype in preseason, he was expected to be an integral part of the Rising Pune Supergiants team but MS Dhoni had other ideas. Irfan hasn’t been a part of the mix that Dhoni has fielded and he has warmed the bench for most of the season.
A quality swing bowler and a hard-hitting lower-order batsman, Irfan would have been a key part of any other team in the IPL. A fast bowling all-rounder is a luxury in India and it is unfortunate that someone who has these rare credentials hasn’t been utilised in the tournament.
5) Dale Steyn
Arguably the best bowler of this generation, Dale Steyn still has to face a bit of criticism for his T20 performances. But not many know of the stats Steyn has in T20s, in 166 Twenty20 games, he has picked up 178 wickets at an exceptional economy rate of 6.68.
He is a match winner in any format he plays and not many bowlers can match the skill set he possesses.
Picked up by the Gujarat Lions, he has warmed the bench for most of the tournament. With Gujarat preferring to pick only batsmen and allrounders as their overseas’ picks, Steyn has been unlucky to miss out on game time this IPL.
Steyn could have set the stage on fire had he been picked by RCB or the Kings XI Punjab who are light in the bowling department.
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