Injuries are part and parcel of any cricketer’s life. However, it is a sad thing for a cricketer to miss out due to injury. This year in the ongoing IPL 2016, the curse named injury has already got the better of most of the stalwarts who were plying their trade in the high-profile tournament.
The new franchise Rising Pune Supergiants seem to have been affected the most by the injuries as four of key their key foreign players Kevin Pietersen, Faf du Plessis, Steve Smith, and Mitchell Marsh are out of the tournament due to injuries. Mumbai Indians also received a major blow when their lethal fast bowler Lasith Malinga and reliable opener Lendl Simmons were ruled out of the tournament.
Teams like Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Kings XI Punjab have also suffered the same predicament and some of the teams have already hired a replacement for the injured player. Players like Martin Guptill, Usman Khawaja, Chris Jordan, Tabraiz Shamsi have already joined in as replacements and the teams are surely pondering over the other players who can be called to replace the other cricketers.
We have tried to analyze and find out the players who can be the ideal replacements and help their team with their efforts. Here are the 5 stars who can be still be a part of IPL 2016 as replacements:
Grant Elliott
The New Zealand all-rounder who recently retired from the ODIs can be an ideal replacement for someone like Mitchell Marsh as the Kiwi can contribute with both bat and ball. His style of bowling is ideal for the Indian conditions as he is someone who varies his pace well and his off-cutters are quite deceptive as well.
Recently in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016, Elliott bowled some important spells for his team and also picked up 3 wickets in the game against Bangladesh. He bowled well in the Pakistan Super League as well where he picked up 11 wickets in the 6 games he played. The cunning bowler can solve Dhoni’s woes in the middle-overs with his intelligent bowling.
Elliott is also a more than useful batsman and he is someone who can construct the innings. He played one of the best knocks of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 against South Africa in the semifinal to guide his team to the final which they eventually lost to Australia. In the absence of Smith and du Plessis, Elliott can be given the role of the sheet anchor as well.
Mahmudullah Riyad
The talented Bangladesh all-rounder impressed one and all with his magnificent performances in the last year so. Barring that hara-kiri which he committed in the game against India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016, he has been pretty consistent for Bangladesh. He has a solid technique and can also hit the big shots when required.
He can be a good option for the Kings XI Punjab franchise as he is no mug with the ball too. His off-spin can be lethal on the Indian tracks and Punjab will definitely benefit from his bowling services as they lack a spinner to bowl in tandem with Axar Patel.
Mahmudullah can also hold the Punjab middle-order together with his calm and controlled batting.
Johnson Charles
The tall West Indies opener played the knock of his life against India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 when he and Simmons combined together to knock the hosts out of the tournament. Charles scored 52 runs and laid the foundation of the West Indies chase. He is basically a wicket-keeper batsman who can also open the innings.
Most of the West Indian players over the years have enjoyed decent success in the league and someone like Charles has the ability to carry that legacy forward. He is someone who can build the innings and also capable of hitting the monstrous sixes when needed.
Teams that are struggling with their top-order batting can definitely think of someone like Charles who can bolster the batting strength. His unusual batting approach might just provide the impetus to a team which is trying to revive its campaign.
Darren Sammy
The victorious West Indies skipper in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 can be an option as he is someone who can bowl his cutters well and also is a renowned big-hitter. His confidence will be sky-high after the magnificent world cup triumph and he will also like to prove a point or two to the selectors.
Though his current form doesn’t look that rosy, yet he is someone who has a calm head on his shoulders and can always get back to form in a format like T20. Sammy’s wealth of experience is also a key proposition a team can use to plan its strategies.
The way Sammy led his team in the world cup amidst controversies is truly commendable. If he gets a chance in the IPL 2016 he will definitely try to prove his mettle.
Rilee Rossouw
The talented South African southpaw who has a healthy T20I strike rate of 137.97 is a solid top-order player. He is someone who loves to play the ball on his merit and also capable of unfurling the big strokes when required.
He previously played in the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and he didn’t do justice to his talent as he only scored 53 runs in the 5 games he played. Rossouw is a much better player than that as his T20I average is 29.72 and in the days when the technically sound players like Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Joe Root are ruling the roost in the shortest format, the elegant Russouw can also be expected to succeed if he is given the opportunities.
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