IPL 2019: Unlucky XI of the season

These players should've got more chances but they warmed the bench for the majority of the season.

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Washington Sundar
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Washington Sundar. (Photo: IANS)

What a fabulous two months have we had! This was one of the best Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons ever, with many last ball finishes and intriguing matches. All the cricket fans love to see games which are unpredictable and exciting, both of which was highly available this year in the IPL.

Many players had a blistering season, meanwhile, some were quiet throughout. Left or right-handed batsmen or spin and pace bowler, whomsoever it may be, IPL provides equal opportunities to shine and many of them did, like David Warner who won the Orange Cap, Imran Tahir who topped wicket-takers list, emerging player going to the young Shubman Gill and the most valuable player went to the powerful Andre Russell and the list goes on.

Then came the biggest of all which matters the most, the trophy went to the Mumbai Indians for the fourth time and they became the most successful team in the IPL history, all under Rohit Sharma’s leadership. He now also has five IPL trophies to his name which is the best for any player in the tournament, four under the Mumbai Indians and one in the Deccan Charger’s jersey as a player.

Sadly though, many talented players had to miss out from the playing XI due to various reasons like the limitations of four foreign players, a poor start in the IPL, inexperience and much more.

Here we bring you the unlucky XI of the season:​

1. Martin Guptill (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Martin Guptill
Martin Guptill. (Photo: IANS)

This New Zealand cricketer is currently ranked as one of the elite openers in the world. He is an extremely dangerous player and can take the match out of the opponent’s hand quite easily. Martin Guptill had missed out his chance on being a star opener for his team as Sunrisers Hyderabad had the likes of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow.

Guptill could only manage to play three games after the pair went back to their respective countries for World Cup preparations. In the few matches he played, the Kiwi batsman showed a glimpse of what he can do scoring runs at a strike-rate of above 150 and at an average of 27. He would’ve loved to get more chances but the team combination was such that Guptill had to wait until the end.

2. Murali Vijay (Chennai Super Kings)

Murali Vijay
Murali Vijay. (Photo: IANS)

He is an opener who the team can depend upon. He is a player who believes in the theory of consistency rather than a big strike-rate. Murali Vijay might not be hitting the ball out of the park every now and then, but can play long innings and take the team over the line.

Chennai Super Kings needed a player like him who can play without losing his wicket, which was a major problem for them this season. Many players like Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina were just giving away their wickets to the opponents. Even though he could only play two matches, he was able to score 64 runs and ended up with an average of 32 at a strike-rate of close to 105.

3. Hanuma Vihari (Delhi Capitals)

Hanuma Vihari
Hanuma Vihari. (Photo: IANS)

A player who is rising the ranks every day is Hanuma Vihari. In the last couple of years, he has played some good cricket and has also been rewarded for it. Vihari earned the India call-up with hard work and looks set to be in the long term plans of the Test team. He is not a big-hitter but can manoeuvre the ball at the right areas with exquisite timing.

Hanuma Vihari is an elegant player to watch and it seems like he has a long way to go. He did not get many opportunities this season as Delhi Capitals was a team, which was already rich in Indian talents like the young Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer. He is a great option for any team as he can also bowl a couple of overs when the team needs him to. In this season, he could muster only four runs in two appearances.

4. Yuvraj Singh (Mumbai Indians)

Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh. (Photo Source: IANS)

A well-settled Yuvraj Singh can be really devasting for the opponents. The fans have witnessed him destroying many experienced and skilled bowling attacks without breaking a sweat. Last year he had his worst IPL season and many thought he would not be playing the tournament again but from nowhere, Mumbai Indians bought him for this base price of Rs 1 crores.

He played for MI at the number four position in the first four games but was later dropped to bring in the young Ishan Kishan. They went for him probably thinking about the future and would have wanted to give him a better experience for the upcoming season. Yuvraj deserved more chances as he was decent with the bat, scoring 98 runs at a strike-rate of 130. Yuvraj will want to make up a better season next year, but only if he gets the chance to do so.

5. Shimron Hetmyer (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Shimron Hetmyer
Shimron Hetmyer. (Photo: IANS)

Shimron Hetmyer has been a fabulous player for Windies and many believe he has much more potential, which he surely does. He came into the IPL with many expectations and was sold for a hefty amount of Rs 4.2 crores. He disappointed the RCB camp and their fans hugely in the first four matches he played, scoring only a mere 15 runs from it.

Later on, he was benched until the last match of the season where he was eager to get runs. He then smashed 75 runs from just 47 balls and took Bangalore over the line against the SRH. If indeed RCB had shown a little bit more faith in him and had given him more chances, they might have at least escaped the last position in the points table.

6. Wriddhiman Saha (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Wriddhiman Saha
Wriddhiman Saha of SRH. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Wriddhiman Saha, the specialist wicketkeeper, had to wait for Jonny Bairstow to bid adieu to the team to get his chance this season. Bairstow did extremely well during his stint which is the main reason, Saha was benched. He played only five matches for the team and fared decently in that period as well scoring 86 runs at a brilliant strike-rate of 162.26.

Apart from one game, he opened the innings for his side and more often than not, got them off to a quickfire start. Behind the wickets, he affected four dismissals. But despite these performances, Bairstow will continue to be in the starting XI next season. Saha will get fewer chances again which might tempt him to find a new team.

7. Washington Sundar (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar. (Photo: IANS)

This 19-year-old off-spinner Washington Sundar has got some talent in him. He is not afraid of tossing the ball up to the batsmen and has also gotten the wicket-taking ability. He managed to play only three matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore and proved his mettle in the limited opportunities.

Sundar was able to pick up four scalps in the three matches, with an economy of just above eight. He has a long way ahead of him and can threaten many batsmen with his ability. He is no mug with the bat either and Virat Kohli could’ve used him more wisely throughout the season.

8. Ish Sodhi (Rajasthan Royals)

Ish Sodhi
Ish Sodhi. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)

Ish Sodhi had to sit out only for the superstars the Royals had in their team. In any other side, he would’ve walked into the playing XI as he was once the World number 1 bowler in the T20Is. This season, unfortunately, he was only able to play two matches in which he picked up four big wickets. He is a wicket-taking bowler and any team can rely on his abilities.

Ish Sodhi has the ability to run through the line-ups with the variations he possesses but the Royals management could never take that one tough decision and bench a player like Ben Stokes who was underperforming. Nevertheless, Sodhi might have done enough to warrant a place in the starting XI next year.

9. Basil Thampi (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Basil Thampi
Basil Thampi. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Basil Thampi is a great prospect for India and has shown a glimpse of his abilities in both the past IPL seasons along with his domestic performances for his state team, Kerala. He has previously played for the Gujarat Lions, where he impressed everyone with his pace. He was noticed for his ability to bowl some brilliant yorkers and was exceptional for them at the death.

Since, he is in Sunrisers Hyderabad he has not gotten many chances to prove himself, this season. They already are having some superb Indian pacers in the form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed and Sandeep Sharma. He was given a chance in the last few matches and he crumbled at the death against the Delhi Capitals in the eliminator where Rishabh Pant smashed him for more than 20 runs in an over.

10. Kulwant Khejroliya (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Kulwant Khejroliya
Kulwant Khejroliya. (Photo Source: Twitter)

This RCB player has attracted a lot of attention from the cricket fans due to his consistent performance in the domestic circuit. He plays for his state team Delhi where he is one of the main strike bowlers for them. This year he got only two matches to play in the latter half of the season, where he was able to pick up one wicket. He has 17 wickets in his T20 career so far in 15 matches with a decent economy of 7.49 and a strike-rate of 18.6.

​It was baffling to see him warm the bench. With RCB struggling with their bowling, the management should’ve given him more chances which might have changed their fate. Nevertheless, the bowler will be hoping to make more impact next season.

11. Avesh Khan (Delhi Capitals)

Avesh Khan
Avesh Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Avesh Khan has been setting the domestic circuit on fire with his performances in the last couple of seasons. He was also expected to replicate a similar kind of form in the IPL. But unfortunately, he got to play only one game out 16 which the Delhi Capitals played. In that game, the pacer conceded 30 runs in three overs without picking up a wicket.

He should’ve got more chances. But with Kagiso Rabada and Ishant Sharma constantly doing well, the management must’ve thought not to break their rhythm. Avesh Khan is a future prospect for India and should keep working hard in the near future.

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~ Written by Jerin

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