IPL: Famous English cricketers who have never featured in the tournament

Over the years, quite a few English stars have lit up the Indian Premier League with their brilliant display of cricket. Players like Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan and of course Ben Stokes have added the much-needed English flavour to the IPL in the last decade.

Unfortunately, many top-class English players have not featured in the cash-rich league citing various reasons. Let us now look at some of the famous English players who have not featured in the world's most competitive league:

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Joe Root

The current English Test skipper went unsold in this year's auctions despite having a base price of just INR 1.5 crore. Root, who has never played in the IPL, has done well in Indian conditions in T20 internationals. He scored 249 runs in six innings at a strike-rate of 146.57 during England's run to the finals of the 2016 ICC T20 World cup in India in 2016. In 25 T20 international matches for England, Root has scored 743 runs at a strike-rate of 128.77 with his highest score being 90.

Considered one among the current generation fab-four, Root is a world-class batsman who can score runs on any kind of surface.

Blessed with a solid technique, Root can lend stability to the middle order. Considering his experience, he could have batted at any position and kept the scoreboard ticking had he played in the IPL.

Graeme Swann

Graeme Swann

The former number ranked 1 bowler was one of the finest off-spinners England have ever produced. Swann was the first English spinner to take 50 wickets in a calendar year, a feat he achieved in 2009. The off-spinner who played for Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire in the domestic circuit took a total of 51 wickets in 39 T20 matches at an impressive economy of 6.36.

Swann played a crucial role in England’s 2010 ICC T20 World Cup win in the Caribbean, finishing the tournament with ten wickets to his name. This was England's first-ever major ICC title win in their storied history. Swann announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2013.

He loved bowling in Indian conditions but, unfortunately, fans in the country never got an opportunity to witness the Englishman's magic with the ball in the IPL.

James Anderson

James Anderson

The current English Test vice-captain is one of the most prolific English fast bowlers, currently ranked number 2 in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers. Anderson, who has spearheaded the English pace attack for many years, plays for Lancashire in the domestic circuit. In 19 T20 matches, Anderson has 18 wickets to his name at an economy of 7.85.

He is England's highest wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs. The Indians fans would have loved to see one of the most humble cricketers in the world feature at least once in the IPL, but, unfortunately, that did not happen. With his swing and pace, Anderson could have played a crucial role in the IPL.