4 times a player replacement was a blessing in disguise for an IPL team

The international calendar, in its present state, puts to test the fitness of players in the truest sense. With the increasing frequency of T20s, an average body hardly gets time to rest adequately, leading to niggles becoming long-term injuries.

The IPL, over the course of its 10 years, has seen a fair share of high-profile injured absentees, but has also seen instances when replacements have come in and made more than just an impact.

Here are four such instances:

#4 Hashim Amla for Shaun Marsh - 2016

Shaun Marsh was one of Kings XI's most trusted players, having been with them right from the first season and till date, he is their leading run scorer. However, he suffered a back injury prior to the 2016 edition of the IPL, which ruled him out of the tournament.

South African batsman Hashim Amla was brought in to replace the Aussie star. Amla, who is not known for his T20 skills, lit up the tournament in 2016 and 2017 with some spectacular performances.

Amla played just six matches in 2016, scoring 157 runs at an average of just above 25. He was given a longer run in 2017 as he played 10 matches and scored 400 runs at an average of 60 with two centuries to his name.

Unfortunately, he went unsold in the 2018 auction. However, he might be called up by one of the teams given the number of players pulling out due to injuries and other reasons.

#3 Doug Bollinger for Jacob Oram - 2010

After missing out on winning the trophy in 2008 and 2009, the Chennai Super Kings won their first title in 2010, and it was Doug Bollinger who spearheaded their potent pace attack.

However, Bollinger almost missed out on a spot in the CSK squad after going unsold in the auction. Jacob Oram, who suffered an injury prior to the tournament, was ruled out for a few months. His injury came as a blessing in disguise for the Men in Yellow.

Bollinger led the pace attack for CSK in 2010 and 2011, helping Chennai lift the title on both occasions. He ended up with 37 wickets to his name in 27 matches at a strike-rate of 15.57.

His match-winning performance of 4-13 in the semifinal of the tournament in 2010 will always be remembered by the fans.

#2 Lendl Simmons for Jalaj Saxena - 2014

Jalaj Saxena, the Madhya Pradesh star, was purchased by the Mumbai Indians for Rs. 90 lakhs in the 2014 auctions. However, he didn't feature in the first four matches of the season which Mumbai lost.

The team management then decided to replace him with Lendl Simmons midway through the season. The West Indies star made an instant impact as he scored 394 runs in just eight matches at an average of 56. He also scored the first century that season, against the Kings XI Punjab.

He was sensational in the 2015 season as well as he scored 540 runs in 13 innings at an average of 45 with six half-centuries to his name.

His poor performances in 2016 and 2017 led to him going unsold in 2018.

#1 Chris Gayle for Dirk Nannes - 2011

Christopher Henry Gayle was one of the main players responsible for the Royal Challengers Bangalore's success since 2011. However, the only reason why he joined the franchise in the first place was due to an injury to Dirk Nannes.

Nannes, who was ruled out of the 2011 season midway, was replaced by Gayle, who was bought for just USD 400,000. This was the turning point in RCB's season as Gayle helped them reach the final. He ended up as the leading run-scorer in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

He was an integral part of RCB's set-up until last year. Unfortunately, due to his inconsistent performances, RCB did not retain him prior to the 2018 season. He was eventually bought by the Kings XI Punjab for his base price of Rs. 2 crores.