Injured players whose absence proved costly for teams throughout IPL history

The Indian Premier League has powerhouse T20 teams that ensure about keeping competitiveness intact or bettering it each season. Teams come in with the best of plans and strategies ahead of the season at the auction table, looking to hire the services of the top players in the world. Building a strong squad is a tough task and if done meticulously well, the biggest advantage throughout a particular season.

However, sometimes plans go awry in cricket like in life. With a hectic international schedule in modern times, players have a high chance of getting themselves injured or burnt out. Over the years, this has affected their participation in the tournament. More than that, teams have had to pay the price for it by settling for the second best option in the form of a replacement player and alter strategies accordingly at a quick pace.

In the IPL 2018, Kolkata Knight Riders are expected to make changes in their squad with star players such as Mitchell Johnson, Chris Lynn and Andre Russell struggling due to injuries. While Mumbai Indians have managed to bring in New Zealand pacer Mitchell McCleneghan in place of Australia’s Jason Behrendorff.

So let’s browse through every season of the competition so far and see which players’ absence went on to play a role in their team’s fortunes going downhill.

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#1 IPL 2008

The first season of the competition started off extremely well, with many matches going down to the wire and Rajasthan Royals remarkably winning the title.

However, who knows how things would have turned out if it wasn’t for the absence of three major stars of the game.

Mumbai Indians were the most affected not just due to the Harbhajan Singh-Sreesanth ‘Slapgate’, but also due to injuries to their captain and icon player, Sachin Tendulkar and their Sri Lankan pace spearhead, Lasith Malinga.

Tendulkar and Malinga were the identity of MI during their time, as they proved later on. While Malinga missed on the entire season due to a knee injury, Tendulkar missed out on the first half of the tournament due to a groin injury.

Mumbai did bounce back after a below-par start, but could only finish fifth and consequently, could not qualify for the semifinals despite being one of the pre-tournament favourites.

Kolkata Knight Riders were another team expected to do well, more so when Brendon McCullum smashed 158* in the very first match of the competition against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

However, the Knight Riders were let down by their batting to a huge extent that season and they finished sixth on the points table.

Chris Gayle's short stint at Kolkata Knight Riders proved to be less fruitful for the team

Like Tendulkar, West Indies’ explosive opener Chris Gayle too suffered from a groin injury, although his was a more serious one.

As a result, he was ruled out of the entire tournament, leaving KKR with a huge void at the top of the order.

KKR’s investment on Gayle wasn’t exactly a success from 2008-2010, which reflected on their results to a huge extent.

Although he had a better outing with the Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2011-2017, the side felt his absence at the start of the 2014 season when he missed out on a number of games due to a shoulder injury. RCB finished seventh that year.

#2 IPL 2010

Graeme Smith's absence

co-incided

with Rajasthan Royals' dismal showing in the IPL 2010

Two seasons later and another opening batsman had to sit out of the cash-lucrative competition.

The then South African captain Graeme Smith suffered a finger injury just before the start of the tournament.

This was a massive blow for Rajasthan Royals, a team that was dominated with the presence of younger Indian players rather than superstars.

In fact, Smith was named ‘The Rock at the Top’ by captain Shane Warne, during their 2008 winning campaign.

However, the Royals could not replicate their success ever since then and in the IPL 2010, they finished at a dismal seventh position in the points table.

If Smith was present and with his experience in Indian conditions, who knows, the Royals may have done better than the final outcome.

#3 IPL 2011

England pacer Stuart Broad failed to turn out for Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2011 and 2012

This tournament was played right after the World Cup 2011. England pacer Stuart Broad was considered a bargain buy for Kings XI Punjab at $USD 400,000.

Expected to spearhead the pace attack, Broad sent shockwaves to Punjab by announcing his decision to not participate in the IPL 2011 due to a side strain that he had picked up at the World Cup.

Kings XI fell agonisingly short of making it to the playoffs, finishing fifth on the points table. The following season, Broad again missed out due to a calf injury and Punjab ended up finishing sixth.

Ever since then, the fast bowler never played in the competition and switched his focus to Test cricket for England.

#4 IPL 2012

Malinga has struggled with injuries during his illustrious IPL career

Malinga features again. The Sri Lankan pacer suffered from back spasms in the first half of the competition, returning to his home country for treatment.

He returned more than two weeks later but even then wasn’t the threat that he was when in rhythm.

Mumbai may have finished fourth that season, but it was evident that Malinga’s form and presence itself changed the complexion of the bowling attack.

He also had the unfortunate distinction of getting injured before the IPL 2016, missing out on the entire competition due to a knee injury.

Even after four seasons, Malinga’s absence was felt to a huge extent by a team like Mumbai that is filled with stars. They failed to qualify for the playoffs, finishing fifth that season.

#5 IPL 2013

West Indies' batsman Marlon Samuels featured in two games for Pune Warriors India in the IPL 2013

Two major overseas batsmen make the list. Firstly, it is West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels.

Now it is worth to remember that only a couple of months prior to the competition, Samuels was instrumental in the helping the West Indies seal a comeback win over hosts Sri Lanka in the World T20 2012 final in Colombo.

So it was widely expected that he would turn the fortunes of the new laggards, Pune Warriors India in the IPL.

Unfortunately, Samuels could only turn out for two matches, giving a meagre return of eight runs and one wicket.

He had to fly back home to recover from a groin strain, unable to participate in the rest of the competition. Pune finished eighth out of nine teams that season and never played after that.

England's star batsman Kevin Pietersen has been amongst the most injury-prone players in IPL history

The second batsman is England’s now-retired Kevin Pietersen. Like Pune, Delhi Daredevils too struggled during the season.

It could have to do with the fact that he was ruled out before the tournament began, due to a calf injury.

Pietersen had a huge role to play in Delhi’s 2012 performance that saw them make the playoffs. In 2013 though, they finished at the bottom as the batting suffered tremendously.

This was just the beginning of Pietersen’s struggles with fitness that cut short three more seasons of his in the IPL.

In 2014, Sunrisers Hyderabad couldn’t avail his services and in 2016, Rising Pune Supergiant faced the same fate.

Co-incidentally, in both instances, Pietersen was a victim of a calf injury and both the teams failed miserably while not making it to the playoffs.

#6 IPL 2015

Delhi Daredevils pacer Mohammad Shami missed the entire IPL 2015 due to a knee injury

Although now in the news for wrong reasons, pacer Mohammad Shami suffered a knee injury that ruled him out of the competition that season.

He was supposed to turn out for the Delhi Daredevils, expected to be their Indian strike bowler.

Shami’s injury is believed to have occurred during the World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand, where he performed exceptionally well despite playing through the pain.

Shami may not have an enviable IPL record, yet Delhi’s fortunes that season could have possibly turned around had he been available to play.

His form was amongst the best in the world, when it came to bowlers. Delhi finished seventh that season.

#7 IPL 2016

Steve Smith belonged to the quartet of Rising Pune Supergiant's overseas stars to miss out on the IPL 2016

Rising Pune Supergiant was one of the teams making their debut this season. It turned out to be their worst as all the big names from their side were heading back home with some injury or the other. They were easily the most affected by fitness issues.

Pietersen was discussed earlier and he was joined by South Africa captain Faf du Plessis (finger injury), Australia captain Steve Smith (wrist injury) and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh (side strain).

The quartet took their flights out of India in quick succession and by the time Pune could find replacements, it was too late.

So even if MS Dhoni was captaining the side, they were unable to lift their performance and as a result, finished seventh out of 8 teams.

#8 IPL 2017

Virat Kohli missed out on the first four games of the IPL 2017

As many as five top stars’ absence from this season affected their team’s final outcomes to a huge extent, if not entirely.

Royal Challengers Bangalore were the finalists the previous season but finished at the bottom of the points table in 2017.

The skipper, Virat Kohli missed out on the first four games due to a shoulder injury that he sustained during Australia’s tour of India in March.

Once he returned, he could barely reproduce the form he was in 2016 when he hammered an incredible 981 runs.

Kohli shouldered the responsibility of a batting line-up, unable to fire collectively and perhaps that’s why his returns were diminishing.

While opening batsman KL Rahul missed out on the whole season also due to a shoulder injury. As a result, RCB’s main strength of batting became a burden for them.

Another team that collapsed badly in 2017 was Gujarat Lions.

The Lions also had a notable absentee in all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who couldn’t play the entire season due to a hamstring injury.

Even though Gujarat had impressive overseas players, yet Bravo’s match-winning ability in all departments of the game proved to be irreplaceable eventually. The team finished at the bottom of the points table.

Gujarat Lions were dented badly by the absence of West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo

While the Delhi Daredevils could not avail the services of South Africa’s aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton De Kock.

De Kock suffered a finger injury prior to the IPL, during a Test match against New Zealand.

With an impressive showing in the previous seasons, his absence meant that Delhi was perhaps left with no choice but to experiment at the top of the order.

Despite some good and improved batting performances, the side finished sixth in the season and once again, failed to make the playoffs.