IPL: Players who played a stellar role after coming in as the replacements

In life, someone's pain is someone else's gain. The only thing that matters is how well people grab the presented opportunity to prove their excellence. Over the years, several players have withdrawn from the Indian Premier League due to two main reasons- suspensions and injuries.

The unavailability of the key players even for a shorter duration of the tournament has been a major headache for the franchises as they find themselves in a position to find out the perfect replacements to balance as well as strengthen their squads. The teams have to change their strategies once again, keeping in mind the new signings.

Some replacements were signed in the middle of the season, whereas some well before the start of the season. Though many have failed to perform well after coming in as the replacements, some have really changed their team's fortunes through their exceptional performances.

Let us now look at the players who made the difference in their side's dream run in the IPL:

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#1) Chris Gayle

The Royal Challengers Bangalore signed the ‘Universe boss’ as a replacement to the injured Dirk Nannes for INR 2.9 crore during the 2011 IPL. In his first season with the Bangalore franchise, Gayle scored an astonishing 608 runs in just 11 matches at a strike-rate of 183.13, with three half-centuries and two centuries.

Thereby, he ended up as the leading run-scorer of season four and was awarded the Orange cap for his brilliance with the bat throughout the tournament. Unfortunately, he could not continue his good run in the playoffs as the RCB finished as the runners-up for a second time in the IPL after losing to the Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk in the final.

Nevertheless, it was a brilliant season for the Jamaican who was brutal with the bat, guiding his side to the finals. Gayle stayed at Bangalore for seven seasons and was released by the franchise prior to the 2018 Auctions, where he was bought for INR 2 crore by the Kings XI Punjab for the 2018 IPL.

#2) Lendl Simmons

Lendl Simmons

Simmons was signed by the Mumbai Indians as a replacement for the injured Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Jalaj Saxena in 2014. Prior to his arrival, the Mumbai Indians did not register victory in their first four games. That was the first ever IPL stint for the Trinidadian. In the eight matches, Simmons scored 394 runs at a strike-rate of 135.39 with his highest score being 100* against the Kings XI Punjab. Simmons, who scored three half-centuries and a century in 2014 amassed a mammoth 43 fours and 14 sixes in the seventh edition of the IPL.

The Mumbai Indians qualified to the playoffs where they lost to the Chennai Super Kings eventually in the Eliminator at Brabourne Stadium. Simmons represented Mumbai Indians for four seasons (2014-2017) and won two titles with them under Rohit Sharma- in 2015 and 2017. Overall, in 29 IPL matches, he has scored 1079 runs at a strike-rate of 126.64 across four seasons for the Mumbai Indians. Surprisingly, he went unsold in this year’s auctions with a base price of INR 1.5 crore.

#3) Imran Tahir

The Lahore-born Proteas leg-spinner's first ever IPL stint was with the Delhi Daredevils, where he played three seasons- 2014 to 2016. Before the 2017 auctions, the Daredevils released him and much to everyone’s surprise he went unsold with a base price of INR 50 lakh. But, the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant franchise signed him for the 2017 IPL as a replacement to the injured Aussie all-rounder, Mitchell Marsh.

Tahir had an outstanding season with the Steven Smith-led franchise, having taken 18 wickets in just 12 matches at an economy of 7.85. His four-over spell made the difference in almost all the RPS games, as the batsmen found his deliveries difficult to read. Tahir’s role was instrumental in guiding the Super Giants to the finals of the 10th edition, where they lost to the Mumbai Indians by just one run.

Nevertheless, the leg-spinner had an outstanding stint with the Pune outfit where he was exceptional with the ball and was a priceless replacement for the injured Mitchell Marsh. Tahir was bought by the Chennai Super Kings for the 2018 IPL.