The IPL is a highly competitive league. The policy of allowing teams to field just 4 overseas players is one of the major highlights of the league. Teams have often found it difficult to find the right combination. A team like Sun Risers Hyderabad has perennially struggled to accommodate their best performing overseas players into the XI. Owing to this rule, many star players have missed out on being part of the IPL. Few have missed out on seasons while certain players have missed out on being part of the league entirely. Here is the list of Stars Couldn’t get Chance in IPL
StumpsandBails looks at 5 Stars Couldn’t get Chance in IPL, though they are part of the Team
#5 Steve Smith (RCB)
Steve Smith and Virat Kohli were once part of the same IPL team. RCB had picked Smith in 2010 auctions. Smith was then known more as Shane Warne’s successor as compared to his batting heroics. RCB were a star-studded lineup where legendary players like Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn made the ranks. This meant Smith never got a chance to represent RCB or play alongside Kohli.
#4 Josh Hazlewood (MI)
Mumbai Indians had picked Josh Hazlewood in 2014. Hazlewood was creating waves in international cricket especially in Tests and ODI’s. His discipline and consistency made him a bowler to watch out for. But sadly owing to team combinations at MI, Hazlewood could never really break into the team.
#3 Justin Langer (RR)
This is probably the most awkward player selection in the history of the IPL. Rajasthan Royals had picked retired Australian Test veteran Justin Langer in the inaugural IPL season (2008). Langer hardly played limited-overs cricket for Australia hence his selection as T20 batsmen came as a big surprise. But Langer couldn’t break into RR’s playing XI as the likes of Graeme Smith, Younus Khan, Shane Warner, Shane Watson, and Sohail Tanvir took up the overseas slots. Langer retired from IPL next season without even having played a single game.
#2 Brendan Taylor (SRH)
Brendan Taylor is regarded as the best Zimbabwean batsman of the current generation. He sizzled in the 2015 ODI World Cup. Taylor has fashioned a brilliant win over Australia in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. SRH picked him in 2014 auctions but he couldn’t force his way into the playing XI. Darren Sammy captained SRH back then. Aaron Finch and David Warner took up the overseas batting slot leaving no room for Taylor in the XI.
#1 Nicholas Pooran (MI)
MI had picked Nicholas Pooran in 2017 auctions. They had the riches of Kieron Pollard, Jos Buttler, Lasith Malinga, and Mitchell Johnson in their ranks back then. Mitchell McClenaghan was also a MI regular. Amidst this galaxy of stars, a young Pooran was rarely missed. He wasn’t the explosive force he has become now. Imagine MI having a player like Pooran in their ranks. WOW!
Also read: “I wasn’t played in Chennai, ‘am I that bad?’- Indian Spinner Kuldeep Yadav
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