IPL 2023: Best Injured XI of the tournament

The Indian Premier League has seen plenty of talented playing coming up, performing well, and becoming big names. And each year, there have been few big players who miss out on this journey. Injuries are part and parcel of the game, and there often are times when those players get injured upon whom the teams place their trust to win matches. Over the years, we have seen many prominent names missing out due to injury. The list goes on and on. As the tournament progresses the list gets new names added. Although the teams can get replacement but the options remain limited for them. Here's the best XI of the injured players, who missed IPL 2023 or were ruled out right after the start. 1. Jonny Bairstow Jonny Bairstow. (Photo Source: Twitter) Jonny Bairstow is among the prominent names to miss this year's IPL. The England batter didn't recover fully before the IPL kickstarted. It is understood that ECB didn't want to risk Bairstow as he already missed matches since last September due to an unfortunate injury. Considering Ashes and the World Cup scheduled this year, Bairstow is an important member of the squad and in recent times, he has developed himself as an all-format batter. But for Punjab Kings he has been a big miss. He scored 253 runs for them last season striking at 145. He's been a strong opener ever since he made his IPL debut. He can give those strong starts and is a hard hitter of the bowl. He is someone who can take proper advantage of the powerplay. Bairstow is a good player of spin, which makes him succeed in middle overs. And he knows how to pace his innings along with the team score. A gun fielder at the boundaries, Bairstow has played 180 T20s, and can chip in with his inputs to the skipper. 2. Kane Williamson Kane Williamson (Photo Source: Twitter) One of the most unfortunate incidents happened with Kane Williamson, when he got ruled out during his franchise Gujarat Giants' first match. He injured himself while attempting an acrobatic catch on the boundary line, and had a bad fall. The Kiwi skipper was making his debut for GT against Chennai Super Kings in the curtain raiser, and after his injury, Sai Sudarshan replaced him. His on-field presence could have made things easier for Hardik. He can provide a different perspective during the match, has safe hands and is a proper team man. He has the attacking game in himself, afterall, who can forget his 2018 season? He has been technically strong, a backfoot player. If there's a hint of movement up front, he can be the savior. He has a great cricketing mind and should surely make a way to open along with Bairstow to have a balance in this XI. 3. Rajat Patidar Rajat Patidar (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) The most talked-about uncapped Indian batter of last season was Rajat Patidar. He had lit-up RCB's chances during the business end of IPL 2022. His 112* innings against Lucknow Super Giants in the eliminator match was top-notch and he seemed to be a sure starter in the playing XI. He carried forward his IPL confidence in domestic matches as well. He was going through the ranks exponentially and had been with the Indian squad as well. But a heel injury restrained him from participating in this year's IPL. He would be disappointed to miss out. And for RCB as well, they have been missing their number three and have tested quite a few names but don't seem to have found a proper match. If he were available this season, he would solve one-down the headache for Faf du Plessis. He's shown intent and is young into IPL season who just had a breakout season last year. Being a cool-headed guy, Patidar knows the grounds pretty well and is perfect fit for the number three slot in this injured XI. 4. Shreyas Iyer Shreyas Iyer. (Photo Source: Twitter/IndianPremierLeague) Shreyas Iyer sustained a lower back injury during the India-Australia series and since then hasn't stepped onto the cricket field. He was the designated captain for Kolkata Knight Riders and for them, he's a big miss. Although Nitish Rana has been given the responsibility to lead the side, but KKR struggled without his services. Iyer is a born leader, and he has also led the Delhi franchise earlier. With him, KKR is not only missing the captain but the number four batter as well who can contribute good amoutn of runs. He's a good player of spin, which helps teams during mid-innings. He has got the temperament to succeed in tough situations, a clutch player is what people call him. Iyer was handed the captaincy to manage the XI well, and to take the side to their third title win. He is capable of leading a team, as he had earlier taken Delhi to the finals of the 2020 season. He knows how to get the best out of the players and takes decision on his instincts which helps him to thrive at crucial plays of the game. 5. Rishabh Pant (wk) Rishabh Pant. (Photo Source: Twitter) Indian cricket's one of the big misses for this year has been Rishabh Pant. He survived a major accident in December 2022 and thankfully has been recovering well now. He's a big asset for Team India and his franchise Delhi Capitals. Ever since his debut in IPL, he's been with the Delhi franchise. He has grown over the years and was later promoted to captain the side. The southpaw batter's absence has impacted Delhi a lot. Not only they've struggled to win matches but also have a very weak middle order. The young agile keeper is a fun-loving person who keeps the team environment light-hearted. He's a serious talent and a would-be cricket superstar. Delhi had struggled to place a permanent wicketkeeper in their playing XI. These situations show how much important he was for his side. Here, he has got the glovework to do. Also, he provides the left-hand option in the middle order. 6. Kyle Jamieson Kyle Jamieson. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) The tall Kiwi all-rounder Kyle Jamieson was bought by Chennai Super Kings in the auction. But after some time, he suffered lower back stress which is keeping him out of cricket action for several months. After being absent last season, he came back this year after making his debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2021. He was getting wickets before getting injured. For CSK, he wasn't a first-choice player. But given his availability, they would have tried him in a few games, considering that he has a rare quality of a seamer who comes as a handy batter as well. Though he hasn't shown any over-the-top performance in his IPL career, but has the capability to do so. He is known for getting awkward bounces. He can make the ball talk in the first overs and also finds a place batting at number seven. 7. Washington Sundar Washington Sundar. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL) Washington Sunar joined the list of injured players' list midway through this season. In the only game he had against Delhi Capitals when he performed his best, he got injured right after the match. He had a poor outing before that game. He was wicketless till he bowled his second over in this match. He dismissed three batters and later contributed with the bat as well. With the ball, Sundar got 24 not out off 15 balls, but couldn't take his team through. Washington Sundar had an ordinary season for his franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad. He got to bowl disruptively but his batting was underutilized. He's potential to be a genuine batting all-rounder, but has gone off track for some time now. He is the lone spinner in the team. He bowls off break, and can purchase some turns if the pitch offers. More than that, he is an economical bowler who can be used to restrict run scoring. He is a good striker of the ball. 8. Prasidh Krishna Prasidh Krishna. (Photo Source: Twitter) Prasidh Krishna is an amazing fast-bowling prospect. He is rated highly, a tall bowler who skids the ball through. He was the go-to bowler for Rajasthan Royals last season. They're not missing his service, as they have managed to adjust their team dynamics. A lumber stress fracture ruled him out in the month of February. Since India's tour against Zimbabwe last August, he hasn't played any competitive cricket. And this IPL season miss was a big thing for him personally. The World Cup at home later this year was his target, whicfh now looks a far fetched dream. His best IPL season could have been followed by another good year. He has developed his death bowling skill quite a bit. He can be used during the middle phase as a surprise package and is a hit-the-deck hard bowler. 9. Mukesh Choudhary Mukesh Choudhary (Photo Source: Twitter) Mukesh Choudhary was one of IPL's find last season. The left arm medium fast played for the Chennai franchise and impressed everyone with his bowling. Since then, the national selectors have had an eye on him as he has also put up worthy performances in the domestic arena. He joined the Chennai camp for a brief time before moving to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. His absence is a big blow for MS Dhoni. He was the only left-hand option in the bowling attack who used to add different dimensions, and had made a mark last year in Deepak Chahar's absence. And in this playing XI, he finds another left-hander in Reece Topley. Mukesh is good with the new ball, swings in and out leaving the batter in doubt, and executes the bowling plans well. 10. Reece Topley Reece Topley. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL) The English pacer was bowling well in the first two overs against Mumbai Indias in his franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore's first match in this year's IPL. He got Cameron Green out. But he himself got injured in the most unfortunate way as he hurt his right shoulder while diving. He went to Kolkata with the team but sadly had to leave for UK after that. Topley has had a bad relationship with injuries. The most recent and frustrating one came right before the T20 World Cup. He got injured before a warmup match which ruled him out, and Tymal Mills replaced him later. He attracted bidders in the auction, and ended up with RCB. With the 50 over World Cup approaching soon, the ECB will be monitoring their players and taking extra precautions to keep them available for national duty. With Topley, they are doing the same. He has a good yorker to his name and an impressive T20 record and hence the management would want him to recover soon. 11. Jasprit Bumrah Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo Source: Twitter) The name which every cricket lover in India chants wholeheartedly is Jasprit Bumrah. Him missing out is a threat to any side he plays for. His void is hard to fill as he is irreplaceable int he side. He sustained an injury right after the England tour, then missed the Asia Cup before being brought into the squad for the home series against Australia. But then again, he wasn't fully fit. Eventually, he missed the marquee event T20 World Cup. The injury went long as he was ruled out of the Australia series midway. Now, he had successful back surgery and has started rehabilitation. He is going to miss the upcoming WTC final at the Oval as well and his absence is a concern for Dravid and Rohit. The main agenda is to get him fit for the World Cup at home. Bumrah himself would like to focus on that only. In this playing XI, the presence of good quality fast bowlers allow him and his skipper to use his precious four overs whenever he wants. Mumbai Indias are also struggling in this season and they hope to get him back next season.

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IPL 2023: Best Injured XI of the tournament

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