5 Cricketers who deserve a better IPL team

They could perform better if they are allowed to express themselves freely in the position they want.

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Andre Russell, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL, IPL 2019
Andre Russell. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)

We keep hearing from players that the IPL helps them improve and get better. Players from all around the world want to play in the IPL and compete with the best and also, play for the best teams. However, there are times when things don’t go according to their wish. Cricketers have often found themselves out of position in the IPL.

With stars from all across the globe playing the league, it is difficult to accommodate everyone in the XI and also, give them their preferred choice of role. Hence, they have had to adjust and adapt to different positions. But they could perform better if they are allowed to express themselves freely in the position they want.

Thus, here are five cricketers who deserve a better IPL team:-

Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal. (Photo Source: Twitter)

It was back in 2011 that Mayank Agarwal caught everyone’s attention with his flamboyant stroke-play in the IPL. The Karnataka batsman was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the first three years of his IPL career. He was opening alongside Chris Gayle in most matches. In 2014, Agarwal was bought by Delhi where he played 21 games across three seasons.

And in 2017, he turned out to play for Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS). However, he wasn’t consistent for any of the teams. But he had started to get supremely consistent in domestic cricket and thus, in 2018, Kings XI Punjab bought him for a sum of INR 1 crore. Over the last two seasons, Agarwal has played 24 games. He had a poor 2018 season but did well earlier this year where he got 332 runs at a strike-rate of 141.88.

But the Karnataka star hasn’t got to bat at his preferred position. With the presence of Chris Gayle and KL Rahul, Agarwal has been batting at No. 3 and 4. He has done well but to get the best out of him, he needs to play at his preferred position. Thus, he deserves a better team where he can open the innings and dictate terms.

Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson. (Photo: IANS)

Kane Williamson is one of the few overseas cricketers who have played only for one IPL team. In 2015, he was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad and the New Zealander has stayed with the franchise ever since. After a couple of sedate seasons (2015 and 2016), Williamson had a very good season in 2017. The New Zealand skipper scored 256 runs at an average of 42.67 and a strike-rate of 151.48.

In 2018, he was bought back by SRH and he eventually became the captain after David Warner was banned. He led the side beautifully and also won the Orange Cap as he amassed 735 runs in the season and drove SRH to the final. However, in 2019, he was on and off due to injury.

Moreover, with the return of Warner and inclusion of Jonny Bairstow, Williamson’s spot was constantly in question. It was also affecting the balance of the squad at times. Hence, if he loses the captain’s armband, Williamson may not be guaranteed a place in the XI. Thus, the Kiwi skipper deserves a better team where he can start in every single game.

Steve Smith

Steve Smith
Steve Smith. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Steve Smith’s numbers and ability is always in question in the T20 format. He may arguably be the best batsman in the world in Test cricket but he isn’t the same in T20 cricket. There is no doubt that Smith is only improving and may well catch up with the others. The former Australian skipper missed the 2018 edition of the IPL due to his 12-month ban.

Despite that, he was retained by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for the 2019 season. He did score 319 runs at an average of 39.88 but Smith moved up and down the order a bit as well. RR boasts of a pretty strong top-order. The likes of Jos Buttler, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson – all of them love batting in the top-order.

Hence, Smith has had to tweak either his or these players’ batting position which becomes out of place as well. Thus, it may not be wrong to say that Smith deserves a better team which is looking for a middle-order batsman and also a captain.

Trent Boult

Trent Boult
Trent Boult. (Photo: IANS)

If there is a list of best all-format bowlers of the world created at the moment, Trent Boult will feature among the top five or top seven. The left-arm fast bowler has the ability to adapt and change his game according to the format and conditions. Over the last few years, he’s become New Zealand’s premier pacer across formats.

Boult made his IPL debut in 2015. He featured for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for a couple of seasons but played just eight games. He moved to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2017 before he was bought by Delhi in 2018. While he played every game in 2018, Boult played five matches in the 2019 season.

One of the primary reasons was the presence of Kagiso Rabada. The South African pacer led Delhi’s attack in 2019. Moreover, the presence of all-rounders Chris Morris and Keemo Paul and leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, Boult found it tough to break into the XI regularly. He has moved to the Mumbai Indians (MI) and it remains to be seen how he fares there.

Andre Russell

Andre Russell
Andre Russell. (Photo Source: Twitter)

When you see the name Andre Russell, you are bound to raise one question. Russell is playing every game for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and getting consistent opportunities, then why his name in this list. The hard-hitting West Indian all-rounder has been open about his problems at KKR.

Russell scored 510 runs at a staggering strike-rate of 204.82 and also picked up 11 wickets in the 2019 season. However, his batting position has always been in question. The pace-bowling all-rounder was often underused with the bat. In fact, he was held back multiple times despite high asking rates.

He turned game on its head single-handedly for KKR and yet, they were reluctant to promote him up the order. Despite, Russell openly admitting that he wouldn’t mind batting at No. 4 and doing the job, KKR refused to use him flexibly. Thus, he deserves to play for a better IPL team.

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