IPL 2019: One player each team would have liked to have

The World's biggest T20 league has ended, and it lived up to the expectations. The 12th edition was the most closely contested IPL till date as the difference between the 4th placed and 8th placed teams was just 1 point. Sunrisers Hyderabad became the first ever team to qualify with just 12 points from 14 games. The top 3 teams finished on 18 points each, showing how competitive the tournament was.

Mumbai Indians emerged as champions, defeating Chennai Super Kings by 1 run in the final. The final was a fitting end to this season's IPL, which had seen nearly half of the games go to the last ball.

Other than Mumbai Indians, all the teams had weaknesses that were exposed throughout the tournament. Even runners-up, CSK had a lot of weaknesses. All the teams would have loved to have a player, who could have strengthened them as a team. On that note, let us have a look at 1 player that each team would have liked to have at their disposal.

#1 Chennai Super Kings - D'arcy Short

D'arcy Short

D'arcy Short played for Rajasthan Royals in 2018 but failed to produce the kind of impact that was expected from him. He scored a paltry 115 runs in 7 innings at an average of 16.42. As a result of his poor showing, he went unsold in the 2019 auction.

However, he has been in a rich vein of form over the past few months. In the 2018/19 BBL, he scored 637 runs in 15 games at an average of 53.08 and had a strike rate of 140.61. He also picked up 10 wickets with his chinaman bowling and had a strike rate of 22.2.

In the JLT One Day Cup (Australia's domestic 50-over tournament), he scored a record-breaking 257. He smashed 23 sixes in that innings. He scored 77 runs in 2 games in the T20I series in India, showing that he has worked hard on his style of play against spin bowling.

Shane Watson was in poor form for most of the tournament and scored runs at a poor strike rate. They didn't have any other quality players who could have replaced him, and having D'arcy Short would have helped them. He can be devastating at the top of the order and on a turning pitch in Chennai, his chinaman bowling could have caused problems for batsmen.

#2 Delhi Capitals - Laurie Evans

Laurie Evans in action in the Vitality Blast

Laurie Evans has made a name for himself in T20 leagues all around the world. He was particularly impressive in the BPL as he scored 339 runs in 11 games at an average of 37.66 and had a strike rate of 137.8. In the 2018/19 Vitality Blast, he scored 614 runs in 14 innings at an average of 68.22 and had a strike rate of 135.84.

He could have played for Delhi in the middle order, an area where they had their concerns. The likes of Colin Munro, Colin Ingram, and Shane Rutherford failed to finish off games. They were highly inconsistent, and they didn't have any Indian players to replace them.

In such a scenario, the Sussex batsman could have strengthened Delhi Capitals' middle order. His presence in the middle order would strengthen their middle order significantly.

#3 Kings XI Punjab - Chris Woakes

Chris Woakes is a genuine wicket taker

Chris Woakes is one of the world's best fast bowlers at present. He is excellent with the new ball and can generate swing. He is also pretty good at the death and can stem the flow of runs. Additionally, he is a good batsman in the lower-order and can make meaningful contributions.

He has picked up 121 wickets in 108 innings at a strike rate of 17.9 and has an economy rate of 8.38. He also has a strike rate of 136.1 with the bat. While Mohammed Shami was impressive for KXIP, their overseas pacers weren't in great form. Andrew Tye and Hardus Viljoen leaked runs and failed to pick up wickets. Sam Curran wasn't very consistent and as a result, KXIP lost several matches.

An experienced bowler like Woakes would have been of great help to the team as he is a genuine wicket-taker.

#4 Kolkata Knight Riders - Qais Ahmad

Qais performed well in the BBL

Qais Ahmad has turned heads with his tremendous performances in the T20 format. He has been highly impressive with his leg-spin and he was the joint highest wicket-taker in the 2018 U19 World Cup.

He was seen in action in the BBL where he picked up 7 wickets in just 3 games for the Hobart Hurricanes. In the Afghanistan Premier League, he picked up 15 wickets in 9 games at a strike rate of 12 and had an economy rate of 6.26. In the same tournament, he managed to out-perform the likes of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi.

He is one of the many mystery spinners to have come out of Afghanistan in recent times. The 18-year old could have been a great player for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Their spinners failed to pick up wickets at regular intervals, and a mystery spinner like Qais would have helped them. The uncapped player has picked up 35 wickets in 26 innings at a strike rate of 15.4.

#5 Mumbai Indians - Tushar Deshpande

Tushar Deshpande would have been a great addition to the pace attack of Mumbai

Tushar Depshpande has been brilliant in the domestic circuit for Mumbai. He was one of the rising stars from the 2018/19 domestic season. He was the 2nd highest wicket-taker in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 19 wickets from just 10 games. He was terrific in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as he picked up 15 wickets in just 8 games.

Deshpande has good pace and can bowl at over 140 kph. In his T20 career, he has picked up 22 wickets in 15 games at a strike rate of 13.9. His economy rate of 8.26 is also acceptable. MI didn't have a good back-up Indian pacer, and the local lad would have been a useful addition.

Barinder Sran was poor in the opportunities given to him, and they didn't have other options. The 24-year old can bowl at any stage of the game and with him in the team, they would have had more freedom to experiment with the team combination.

#6 Rajasthan Royals - Ross Taylor

The experience that Ross Taylor brings to the table is invaluable

Ross Taylor is unarguably one of the best middle-order batsmen in the world at present. He has been in sublime form over the past 2 years and has been better than the likes of Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson. He can score runs at a good strike rate and doesn't fail under pressure.

He has scored 5810 runs in 245 innings at an average of 31.57 and has a strike rate of 132.76. He is a very reliable batsman in the middle-order and has played for 3 IPL teams in the past. Rajasthan Royals would have loved having someone of Ross Taylor's stature as he is a proven middle-order batsman.

The likes of Ben Stokes and Ashton Turner were unsuccessful for the Royals in the middle-order, and a player like Taylor could have solidified it. He is a highly consistent performer and with him in their team, RR would have been a tough team to beat.

#7 Royal Challengers Bangalore - Tom Curran

Tom Curran is currently a prime bowler for England

Tom Curran has emerged of as one England's premier fast bowlers in the limited over formats. He has been a fixture in their plans for ODI's and T20I's over the past year or so. He has a lot of variations up his sleeve and can also bowl the yorker. Due to his skills, he has become England's premier death bowler.

He is also a handy lower-order batsman. In T20 cricket, he has picked up 96 wickets in 82 innings at a strike rate of 17.4 and has an economy rate of 8.43. With the bat, he has a good strike rate of 131.19.

Barring Yuzvendra Chahal, none of Royal Challengers Bangalore's bowlers performed. Their pace bowlers were out of touch and they leaked runs at the death. Tom Curran could have been the answer to their problems at the death, and his batting would have provided them with some lower-order muscle.

#8 Sunrisers Hyderabad - Travis Head

BBL - Strikers v Scorchers

Travis Head has represented Australia in all formats of the game. He has tasted a considerable amount of success with the national team and is a useful cricketer. The former RCB player can bat at any position and is also a handy off-spinner. He generally bats at #3 or #4.

The Adelaide Strikers' captain has scored 1808 runs in 70 innings at an average of 31.17 and has a strike rate of 135.5. He has also picked up 17 wickets in 31 innings at a strike rate of 18.4.

SRH had problems with their middle-order batting. Their middle-order batsmen were woefully out of form. As a result, SRH lost several games. Having Travis Head would have been beneficial for them as he could have batted in the middle-order. He is a highly dependable batsman and he would have enjoyed batting at the Hyderabad.