3 Cricketers who have not yet played for any IPL franchise

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is regarded by many as the best T20 league in the world. Since its inception in 2008, some of the best players have featured in the competition, making it one of the most viewed cricket tournaments in the world.

The IPL also has given exposure to the youngsters and domestic players to play alongside capped overseas players, which has boosted the quality of uncapped players in India. This has brought more sense of familiarity between the foreign players and the Indians.

It is IPL that made it possible for 19-year-old Virat Kohli to share a dressing room with the likes of Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble among many others, even before he made his India debut. Over the years, we have seen many other legends and rising stars feature in the IPL. However, there have been a few popular cricketers who have never played in the IPL.

Here are three cricketers who have not yet played for any IPL franchise:

1. Joe Root

Joe Root is one of the best England batters of all time and has been one of the best players in the world over the last decade or so. He is known for his solidity and temperament with the bat, making him a complete batter across formats.

It is surprising that a modern great and an all-format player such as the former England captain has never featured in the IPL. He has played 32 T20Is and 86 T20s overall, including in the 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cups. He also played for Sydney Thunder in Australia’s Big bash league.

Root has scored 893 runs at an average of 35.72 and a strike rate of 126.30 with five fifties and a top score of an unbeaten 90. He was also the third-highest run-scorer in the 2016 T20 World Cup, scoring 249 runs in six games. He is well capable of earning an IPL contract and setting the tournament alight.

2. Paul Stirling

Paul Stirling is one of the pioneers of Irish cricket and one of the most experienced white ball batters at the moment. The right-hand opener has a natural swagger with the bat, with the gift of being able to generate power with ease. He is one of the strongest hitters of the ball in world cricket at the comment. 

Stirling has played for a number of teams across the globe in various leagues such as Islamabad United, Dambulla Giants, and Khulna Tigers among many others. He also has experience in playing close to 300 T20 matches in over 14 years.

The Ireland batter made his T20I debut in 2009 and has appeared in 107 matches ever since. He has scored 2,894 runs at a strike rate of 134.98 and an average of close to 30 with a ton and 20 fifties. He also has an impressive strike rate of 142.83 in T20s overall.

3. Mushfiqur Rahim

One of the legends of Bangladeshi cricket and a long-time servant of the national team, Mushfiqur Rahim is yet another big name, who has surprisingly never played in the IPL. Bangladesh’s wicketkeeper-batter of all formats made his T20I debut in November 2006 against Zimbabwe in Khulna.

Rahim has featured in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) playing for Karachi Kings, and for Khulna Tigers in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). He has scored over 5,000 runs in 240 T20 matches at an average of just over 29 and a strike rate of 126.20 with 29 fifties and a top score of 98*.

Rahim also has 61 dismissals as a wicketkeeper in T20Is, which is the fourth-most after MS Dhoni, Quinton de Kock, and Denesh Ramdin. He has 177 dismissals overall in the T20s. The middle-order batter had some of his best years in T20Is in 2013, 2018 and 2019.