IPL history: Top 5 players underutilized by the franchises

When T20 came on to the scene, many experts had an opinion that the format is about hitting from ball one. But as seasons panned out the format grew in popularity and strategies started coming into it. With players coming together for only two months the support staff of IPL teams had an added responsibility to devise their own.

Although there is a mutually agreed unannounced window for IPL, some International cricket is still being played in the month of April-May. Hence many top stars would skip playing in the IPL. Also, with a limit on overseas players being applied in the squad and playing XI, teams have had second thoughts before buying a player.

Team combinations have also resulted in stars missing out from the playing XI. Players have been underutilized by franchises for reasons stated above and for other ones as well. Let us look at top 5 such players in the IPL history.

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#5 David Miller

David Miller holds the record for the fastest ever T20 century

David Miller developed a reputation of a big hitter right from the day he made his debut as he could clear the boundary with ease. He is one of the very few players to have a career strike rate of over 100 after playing more than 100 innings in ODIs. Miller made a huge impact in IPL 2013 as he smashed a 38 ball 101* against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

He became one of the mainstays of Kings XI Punjab after being retained before the big 2014 auctions. He formed a brilliant partnership with Glenn Maxwell and helped Punjab qualify for the finals. He was the leading run-scorer for them in 2013 and 2015 and hence was appointed as their captain in 2016.

But a poor season resulted in him being dropped mid-season. Despite boasting an impressive record, he has played only eight matches in the next two years. Although Punjab has failed to qualify for the playoffs in the last few years, the team management hasn't utilized this southpaw to his potential.

#4 Faf du Plessis

Faf exults after a stunning knock in the first qualifier in 2018

Faf du Plessis has always been regarded highly because of his composure and adaptability. It was evident in his debut IPL season for Chennai Super Kings scoring 398 runs by opening the batting in 2012. Yet he couldn't play a game in 2013 as Michael Hussey was preferred.

2014 and 2015 saw him continuing his run-scoring spree in the middle order for Dhoni's side. Since 2015 he has only played 14 matches across three IPL seasons which also includes a few Man of the Match performances.

Given his ability both as a batsman and captain, he should have played more games. Had he been part of any other franchise other than Chennai Super Kings, he would have been appointed as captain as his exploits as the South African leader are well known.

Du Plessis showed his class in limited opportunities provided, as he single-handedly beat Sunrisers to take Chennai to the finals of 2018. Given his class, even CSK would have liked to use him a bit more.

#3 Martin Guptill

Guptill - One of the key players in New Zealand's limited-overs setup

Martin Guptill has been one of the brilliant stroke-makers the game has witnessed in recent years. Every time when he plays the short arm pull on one leg, he stamps his class over it. Having been one of the dominating players in the white ball arena, Guptill hasn't played much in IPL.

Despite being the leading run-scorer in T20 Internationals for quite a while, it was surprising to see him find no takers in the IPL auction in the first 11 seasons. He was roped in as a replacement in 2016 and 2017 edition. It is this year that he has been sold in the IPL auction for the first time ever.

Experts have doubted his play against spinners, but he has proved that he is equally effective against slow bowlers. Having played extremely well in other T20 leagues all over the world, Guptill is one player teams have missed capitalizing on.

#2 Kane Williamson

Presence of Warner & Dhawan kept Williamson out of the playing XI

Kane Williamson is one of the rare players from a non-Asian country whose playing style is very adaptive to spin bowling. He stamped his class with a 131 in his Test debut against India in Ahmedabad.

His orthodox style of playing raised many doubters in white ball cricket. But he silenced them as he became only the second ever batsman to score five or more 50+ consecutive scores in ODI in 2014. He was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the next year's auction and was expected to play a key role.

Stiff competition kept him out of the playing XI for most of the games as he played only 15 games in three seasons. When David Warner was ruled out of IPL 2018, Williamson was announced to lead the side to which he responded brilliantly by topping the batting charts and helped his team to top the points table. Experts were of the view that it is unfortunate that he has missed playing in the earlier seasons.

#1 Hashim Amla

Amla became the third player ever to score more than one 100 in a season

If there is one player who has been underrated in limited overs format in the last decade, then it must be Hashim Amla. The fact that he is the fastest to 2000 to 7000 ODI runs, beating the likes of Virat Kohli and Sir Viv Richards, is proof of that.

His flick off the legs and his backfoot punch in the offside are a delight to watch for the fans. His Test match exploits and simplicity in the playing style has resulted in him being overlooked as a white ball player despite boasting a stellar record.

When he came in as a replacement for Punjab, his impact was evident as he scored twin centuries in 2017 - a record previously held by Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle only. But he went unsold in the next two auctions. Looking for flamboyance, franchises have missed a consistent run-scorer over the years.