5 most under-utilised cricketers in IPL history

5) Tillakaratne Dilshan

If you have a cricketing stroke named after you, then you ought to be a special player. The Sri Lankan cricketer, Tillakaratne Dilshan, is indeed one who is known for developing his version of the scoop shot, Dilscoop. His contributions to the game is just not limited to that, as he is also one of the most accomplished white-ball openers in the history of the game.

In his prime, Dilshan destroyed bowling attacks for fun. He played shots all around the park. The shorter the format, the more dangerous he became for the opposition. Especially in T20Is, where his aggressive batting at top of the order was a treat for all the cricket lovers. In all, he scored 1,889 runs in 80 games and is still the leading run-scorer for Sri Lanka in T20Is.

That’s why he was also a star attraction in most of the T20 leagues. Even the IPL has also been a stop for him, where he has played for a couple of franchises (Delhi Capitals & Royal Challengers Bangalore). Both the stints proved to be fruitful, but only in parts. In his 6 seasons, the right-hander scored 1,150 runs at an average of 26.

Those numbers suggest Dilshan hasn’t achieved the same level of success in the league as compared to his international career. Its simple explanation is that both Delhi and Bangalore never made good use of him. They pushed him up and down in the batting order way too much. And when he used to fail in odd games, they dropped him for testing out another player. In the end, a batsman of Dilshan’s caliber was wasted to some extent.