IPL 2020: 4 players for whom this is a make-or-break season

Ever since the inception of the Indian Premier League in 2008, the tournament has seen the birth of many stars. Some of the biggest names like Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya owe a huge part of their international success to the IPL.

Depending on the potential or quality of the cricketer, the lucrative league has been a source of either massive wealth, or an income sufficient to maintain a steady career.

The IPL has also been a platform that has enabled some of the older cricketers, reaching the twilight of their careers, hold on to the game for a while longer. That has been quite the trend in recent years, where players that retire from international cricket go on to play in domestic T20 leagues for a few more years.

However, there is another category of players that we haven't spoken about yet - the players that were once regulars for their national squad, and are now looking at the IPL as a window to get themselves back in. This category includes a very high class of players, who along with being fine cricketers themselves, are now mentors and role models to the other players in their franchise.

Also see – Indian Premier League 2020 schedule

Here's a look at such cricketers for whom this edition of the IPL may well be a make-or-break season.

#1 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina

Once hailed as the batsman who was destined to take the mantle of 'the finisher' from MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina's form is not quite the same anymore.

The first batsman to score 5,000 runs in the IPL, Raina has always been a mainstay for the Chennai Super Kings. While he has been more or less consistent for CSK, Raina has often failed to replicate his performance in national colors during the recent past.

Raina never fails to bring his limitless energy to the field, and always seems to energize the ones around him. However, in a team like India where young batsmen are piling on the runs and competing for limited spots, Raina needs to show massive numbers to get back into the squad.

Having played his last international game in July 2018 against England, Suresh Raina has been out of the picture over the last couple of years. The 33-year-old will be looking to give it his all in the IPL, if he wants to even be considered by the selectors for the World T20 later this year.

#2 Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane, who first grabbed people's attention when he played for the Rajasthan Royals in 2011, is currently the vice-captain of the Indian Test team.

The elegant stroke-maker from Mumbai had his breakthrough in the 2012 season where he scored his maiden IPL century while playing for the Royals, and was almost immediately drafted into the national team to play against England.

In a series that saw many senior players missing, Rahane impressed one and all with his classy stroke-play. He also formed crucial partnerships in the middle and showed that he could play with a steady mindset, despite being a youngster.

However, the years to come weren't as kind to him. India's (then) limited overs #4 batsman lost his form and was subsequently in and out of the squad.

Rahane has since been a regular for the Royals as well as the Indian Test team, having played his last limited overs game in February 2018. After recently being traded in to the Delhi Capitals for IPL 2020, Rahane will be hoping to make this his best performance yet.

#3 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin

With ace Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh's form dipping, the Indian team quickly needed another spinner who could not only control the flow of runs, but also take wickets. Ravichandran Ashwin proved to be much more than that, as he was handy with the bat as well.

The off-spinner from Tamil Nadu was first noticed when he played for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. He bamboozled the likes of Chris Gayle at the start of the innings, and also made handy contributions with the bat for a #8 or #9 batsman.

The spinner was inducted into the squad for all formats, and while consistency was his friend in the Test format, that wasn't the case in limited overs. He found himself out of favor with the rising trend of wrist spinners, and was soon replaced by spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.

With his last limited overs appearance having been in June 2017, Ashwin, who was traded to play for the Delhi Capitals this season, would need a strong game plan to make a comeback.

#4 Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa

Probably one of the first images that comes to mind when we think of Robin Uthappa is him tipping his hat to the crowd and taking a bow in each direction of the stadium, during the infamous bowl-out in the World T20 game against Pakistan.

The dasher from Karnataka made his debut for India all the way back in 2006, and is best known for charging at the bowlers down the pitch to attack. Uthappa quickly found himself in and out of the team, but has enough domestic performances to prove that he may have belonged there.

His IPL performances early on for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, with his scoops and reverse-sweep sixers, along with his title winning contribution for the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014, would be hard to forget.

Having worked hard on his keeping abilities, Uthappa has doubled up as a wicketkeeper-batsman in recent years, and will be looking at India's keeping woes very closely. Having just been bought by the Rajasthan Royals, Uthappa will be raring to go out and make the most of this opportunity.