The IPL was introduced with a view to encourage and promote talent. Right from its first season, the league has provided a wonderful platform for players to express themselves. IPL has unearthed talent from all corners. David Warner, Andre Russell, Jofra Archer are a few shining examples. These players first passed the IPL test and later went on to succeed at the international level. Here are 5 Top Indian Players Who Never Succeeded In The IPL
The talent depth in Indian cricket has widened thanks to the IPL. But the league has proven to be a challenge for some well-established Indian names. These cricketers could never really get going in the tournament despite being proven, international performers.
5 Top Indian Players Who Never Succeeded In The IPL
#5 Umesh Yadav
Umesh Yadav made his Test debut for India in 2011. He was India’s fastest bowler alongside Varun Aaron. Yadav looked every bit of the fast bowler India had long hoped for. But he couldn’t translate the same promise in whites.
Yadav has perennially struggled in the white-ball format especially in T20Is. His tendency to bowl Test match lengths has often cost him. Yadav has played a total of 121 IPL games picking up 119 wickets. His average of 30.07 is high while his economy rate of 8.51 is a bit too high for a strike bowler.
#4 Mohammad Shami
Mohammad Shami for all his red-ball exploits has often underachieved in the shorter formats. He has faced the same issue as Umesh Yadav. Shami has failed to adapt to the changing nature of the game. He does strike with the new ball frequently but he often appears clueless at the death.
Shami never really had a remarkable IPL. His numbers tell the story aptly. He concedes runs at 8.62 averaging 30.40 and for all his wicket-taking abilities, he has just 79 wickets in 79 games.
#3 Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan was one of India’s greatest fast bowlers. He reinvented himself beautifully post a career slump in 2007. Khan was one of the best exponents of reverse swing.
He was one of the masterminds behind India’s World Cup-winning campaign in 2011. Khan was the joint highest wicket-taker in that World Cup. But for all his great exploits, Khan could never crack the IPL code. He picked up 102 wickets in 100 IPL games.
#2 Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan was one of India’s main heroes in the inaugural T20 World Cup win. Pathan even won the player-of-the-match award in the finals against Pakistan. His all-round ability seemed tailor-made for the format. He had all the makings of a perfect T20 player but Pathan couldn’t really capitalise. Pathan had very modest numbers in the IPL where he featured in 103 games but picked only 80 wickets.
#1 Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh was one of the main reasons why IPL came into existence. His six-sixes played a big role in shaping India’s T20 World Cup win. Singh was arguably the player of the World Cup in 2007. His form and consistency made India the team that they were. It was widely expected that Yuvraj will set the IPL on fire too but that wasn’t to be. He mustered 2750 runs in the tournament at a strike rate of 129.7 averaging just 24.8.
In fact, it was his bowling that grabbed a lot of attention. He picked up two hat tricks in the IPL. His iconic runout off the last ball against MI in Mumbai remains the best Yuvraj IPL moment. For a player of his stature, it just about says everything.
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