IPL 2025: Players who deserved a chance but were benched all season

It goes without saying that the Indian Premier League stands as one of the most fierce leagues in terms of competition. Every squad is stacked with immense talent. However, the harsh reality remains that only 11 players can take the field at any given point (excluding the Impact Player).

Several players find themselves warming the bench due to them not making the cut when it comes to squad composition, strengths of the opposition, conditions, etc. IPL 2025 was no different. There were a whole lot of players who did not get tested despite being incredibly skilled in their own right.

5 players who deserved a chance but were benched all season

5. Shreyas Gopal (CSK)

Price: INR 30 lakh

Shreyas Gopal was coming off an impressive run in the 2024-25 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He had scalped 18 wickets in 10 innings at an economy of 4.98. He ended up as the joint-second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament. 

Gopal has also been tested at the IPL. He was a vital component for RR for three seasons on the trot (2018 to 2020), picking up 41 wickets at an economy rate of 7.79. However, Noor Ahmed, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin were CSK's preferred spinners this season.