The 10th edition of Indian Premier League is entering its middle stage and the battle for the top four places is getting intense with each passing day. There have been some exceptional performances already from both Indian and overseas players that have lit up the tournament and inside two weeks, it has been a big hit. While the cricketing fraternity is busy admiring the top performers of this season, there are several players watching all the action from the dug-out.

The IPL allows the team owners to keep a flurry of players in their squad and the captain and the coach of a team have plenty of options to choose from. In this season, there are 23-28 players in each team but only 11 players can take the field at a time. Having so many players in the squad is an added advantage but not everyone gets to play. In the whole season, a team is most likely to pick from a bunch of 18-20 players and the others would not get to feature in the XI. If the team finds a winning combination, it won&#8217;t want to chop and change a lot and hence a few players would never get the opportunity.

Here are 5 such players who could be warming the benches for the entire season:

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Darren-Bravo.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-134593" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Darren-Bravo.jpg" alt="Darren Bravo" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-134593" class="wp-caption-text">Darren Bravo. (Photo Source: New Indian Express)</figcaption>

The batsman from West Indies was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders in this year&#8217;s player auction for INR 50 Lakh. The move had raised a few eyebrows as Bravo is not a renowned T2o specialist. He is known for his gritty batting in the longest version of the game and is not even a regular in the West Indies T20 squad.

He has played 12 T20Is so far for West Indies and has managed to score just 235 runs. His average is 21.36 at a below par strike rate of 111.9 and he doesn&#8217;t have a single half-century in the format. The record does not speak volumes about his caliber in the T20 format. Additionally, KKR have a powerful squad and even an all-rounder like Shakib Al Hasan is still waiting for his chances. It&#8217;s highly unlikely that Bravo would get a game this season.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/05/Saurabh-Tiwary-MI.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-18256" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Saurabh-Tiwary-MI.jpg" alt="Saurabh Tiwary MI" width="480" height="594" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-18256" class="wp-caption-text">Saurabh Tiwary (© Getty Images)</figcaption>

The southpaw became an overnight sensation when he scored 419 runs in 16 matches while playing for Mumbai Indians in the year 2010. He was being dubbed as the left-handed version of MS Dhoni and was being seen as the next big thing of Indian cricket. He was then bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011 for a whopping USD 1.6 million.

But since that season, he went off the radar completely and had a dismal outing for RCB. The man from Jharkhand lost his golden touch and suffered a series of failures. He then went on to play for Delhi Daredevils and Rising Pune Supergiant in the following years. Recently, he was bought back by Mumbai Indians for just INR 30 Lakh. The Mumbai squad possesses a number of Indian and overseas players that stand in the way of Tiwary featuring in the XI.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/05/Usman-Khawaja.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-70159" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Usman-Khawaja.jpg" alt="Usman Khawaja" width="600" height="394" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-70159" class="wp-caption-text">Usman Khawaja. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

The Australian left-handed batsman is known for his classical shots and gracious stroke making. He was once seen as a potential replacement for Ricky Ponting for the number 3 slot after his retirement. There is no doubt about his skills but somehow he hasn&#8217;t done his talent&#8217;s worth and the inconsistencies have kept him in and out of the Australian squad.

His stint with Sydney Thunder in 2015-16 where he scored 345 runs in just four T20s at a strike rate of 163.5 earned him a contract for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016. But he could not repeat the heroics for RPS and scored just 127 runs in 6 innings. He is still a part of the RPS squad but the likes of Faf du Plessis and Steven Smith would be preferred over him and it&#8217;s possible that he might not get a chance to play this year.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/04/R-Vinay-Kumar-MI.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-17351" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/R-Vinay-Kumar-MI.jpg" alt="R Vinay Kumar MI" width="825" height="580" sizes="(max-width: 825px) 100vw, 825px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17351" class="wp-caption-text">R Vinay Kumar (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

The fast bowler has been a heavy performer in Indian domestic cricket and also represented India across all formats. He became famous for his ability to swing the ball and his out-swingers against the right-handed batsmen used to be the prolific wicket-taking delivery. His international career wasn&#8217;t as successful and the last he played for the national side was way back in November 2013.

When it comes to IPL, he is vastly experienced and has played 102 matches in which he picked up 101 wickets. Currently, he is with the Mumbai Indians after playing for three other franchises. The Mumbai squad is doing pretty well in this edition with their fast bowlers Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell McClenaghan doing a great job. Even Tim Southee and Mitchell Johnson are waiting in the wings. The current form of the team doesn&#8217;t require any changes and Kumar might end up bowling only in the nets this season.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/04/Kane-Williamson.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-65275" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Kane-Williamson.jpg" alt="Kane Williamson Sunrisers Hyderabad" width="600" height="334" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65275" class="wp-caption-text">Kane Williamson (Photo Source: IANS)</figcaption>

The right-handed batsman from New Zealand is regarded as one of the best batsmen of the modern era. His classical strokes are a sheer treat to watch regardless of the format. But he has been made to sit out so far in the Sunrisers Hyderabad dressing room. The limit of 4 overseas players in a playing XI doesn&#8217;t allow him to break through otherwise the number 3 ranked T20 batsman in the world is capable of making it to any squad in the game.

Sunrisers were the champions last year but the Kiwi batsman didn&#8217;t contribute to that a lot. He played 6 matches for them in 2016 and scored just 124 runs at an average of 20.67. His average record last year is the reason why he hasn&#8217;t been picked in the XI yet and with the likes of Moises Henriques and Ben Cutting doing well already and fighting for a spot, Williamson&#8217;s chances look bleak to feature in the side this year.

<p>The 10th edition of Indian Premier League is entering its middle stage and the battle for the top four places is getting intense with each passing day. There have been some exceptional performances already from both Indian and overseas players that have lit up the tournament and inside two weeks, it has been a big hit. While the cricketing fraternity is busy admiring the top performers of this season, there are several players watching all the action from the dug-out.</p>
<p>The IPL allows the team owners to keep a flurry of players in their squad and the captain and the coach of a team have plenty of options to choose from. In this season, there are 23-28 players in each team but only 11 players can take the field at a time. Having so many players in the squad is an added advantage but not everyone gets to play. In the whole season, a team is most likely to pick from a bunch of 18-20 players and the others would not get to feature in the XI. If the team finds a winning combination, it won’t want to chop and change a lot and hence a few players would never get the opportunity.</p>
<p>Here are 5 such players who could be warming the benches for the entire season:</p>
<h3>#1 Darren Bravo</h3>
<figure id="attachment_134593" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-134593" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Darren-Bravo.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-134593" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Darren-Bravo.jpg" alt="Darren Bravo" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-134593" class="wp-caption-text">Darren Bravo. (Photo Source: New Indian Express)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The batsman from West Indies was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders in this year’s player auction for INR 50 Lakh. The move had raised a few eyebrows as Bravo is not a renowned T2o specialist. He is known for his gritty batting in the longest version of the game and is not even a regular in the West Indies T20 squad.</p>
<p>He has played 12 T20Is so far for West Indies and has managed to score just 235 runs. His average is 21.36 at a below par strike rate of 111.9 and he doesn’t have a single half-century in the format. The record does not speak volumes about his caliber in the T20 format. Additionally, KKR have a powerful squad and even an all-rounder like Shakib Al Hasan is still waiting for his chances. It’s highly unlikely that Bravo would get a game this season.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#2 Saurabh Tiwary</h3>
<figure id="attachment_18256" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18256" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/05/Saurabh-Tiwary-MI.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-18256" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Saurabh-Tiwary-MI.jpg" alt="Saurabh Tiwary MI" width="480" height="594" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-18256" class="wp-caption-text">Saurabh Tiwary (© Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The southpaw became an overnight sensation when he scored 419 runs in 16 matches while playing for Mumbai Indians in the year 2010. He was being dubbed as the left-handed version of MS Dhoni and was being seen as the next big thing of Indian cricket. He was then bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011 for a whopping USD 1.6 million.</p>
<p>But since that season, he went off the radar completely and had a dismal outing for RCB. The man from Jharkhand lost his golden touch and suffered a series of failures. He then went on to play for Delhi Daredevils and Rising Pune Supergiant in the following years. Recently, he was bought back by Mumbai Indians for just INR 30 Lakh. The Mumbai squad possesses a number of Indian and overseas players that stand in the way of Tiwary featuring in the XI.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#3 Usman Khawaja</h3>
<figure id="attachment_70159" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-70159" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/05/Usman-Khawaja.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-70159" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Usman-Khawaja.jpg" alt="Usman Khawaja" width="600" height="394" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-70159" class="wp-caption-text">Usman Khawaja. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The Australian left-handed batsman is known for his classical shots and gracious stroke making. He was once seen as a potential replacement for Ricky Ponting for the number 3 slot after his retirement. There is no doubt about his skills but somehow he hasn’t done his talent’s worth and the inconsistencies have kept him in and out of the Australian squad.</p>
<p>His stint with Sydney Thunder in 2015-16 where he scored 345 runs in just four T20s at a strike rate of 163.5 earned him a contract for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016. But he could not repeat the heroics for RPS and scored just 127 runs in 6 innings. He is still a part of the RPS squad but the likes of Faf du Plessis and Steven Smith would be preferred over him and it’s possible that he might not get a chance to play this year.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#4 Vinay Kumar</h3>
<figure id="attachment_17351" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17351" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/04/R-Vinay-Kumar-MI.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-17351" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/R-Vinay-Kumar-MI.jpg" alt="R Vinay Kumar MI" width="825" height="580" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17351" class="wp-caption-text">R Vinay Kumar (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The fast bowler has been a heavy performer in Indian domestic cricket and also represented India across all formats. He became famous for his ability to swing the ball and his out-swingers against the right-handed batsmen used to be the prolific wicket-taking delivery. His international career wasn’t as successful and the last he played for the national side was way back in November 2013.</p>
<p>When it comes to IPL, he is vastly experienced and has played 102 matches in which he picked up 101 wickets. Currently, he is with the Mumbai Indians after playing for three other franchises. The Mumbai squad is doing pretty well in this edition with their fast bowlers Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell McClenaghan doing a great job. Even Tim Southee and Mitchell Johnson are waiting in the wings. The current form of the team doesn’t require any changes and Kumar might end up bowling only in the nets this season.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#5 Kane Williamson</h3>
<figure id="attachment_65275" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65275" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/04/Kane-Williamson.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-65275" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Kane-Williamson.jpg" alt="Kane Williamson Sunrisers Hyderabad" width="600" height="334" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65275" class="wp-caption-text">Kane Williamson (Photo Source: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The right-handed batsman from New Zealand is regarded as one of the best batsmen of the modern era. His classical strokes are a sheer treat to watch regardless of the format. But he has been made to sit out so far in the Sunrisers Hyderabad dressing room. The limit of 4 overseas players in a playing XI doesn’t allow him to break through otherwise the number 3 ranked T20 batsman in the world is capable of making it to any squad in the game.</p>
<p>Sunrisers were the champions last year but the Kiwi batsman didn’t contribute to that a lot. He played 6 matches for them in 2016 and scored just 124 runs at an average of 20.67. His average record last year is the reason why he hasn’t been picked in the XI yet and with the likes of Moises Henriques and Ben Cutting doing well already and fighting for a spot, Williamson’s chances look bleak to feature in the side this year.</p>

<p>The 10th edition of Indian Premier League is entering its middle stage and the battle for the top four places is getting intense with each passing day. There have been some exceptional performances already from both Indian and overseas players that have lit up the tournament and inside two weeks, it has been a big hit. While the cricketing fraternity is busy admiring the top performers of this season, there are several players watching all the action from the dug-out.</p>
<p>The IPL allows the team owners to keep a flurry of players in their squad and the captain and the coach of a team have plenty of options to choose from. In this season, there are 23-28 players in each team but only 11 players can take the field at a time. Having so many players in the squad is an added advantage but not everyone gets to play. In the whole season, a team is most likely to pick from a bunch of 18-20 players and the others would not get to feature in the XI. If the team finds a winning combination, it won&#8217;t want to chop and change a lot and hence a few players would never get the opportunity.</p>
<p>Here are 5 such players who could be warming the benches for the entire season:</p>
<h3>#1 Darren Bravo</h3>
<figure id="attachment_134593" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-134593" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Darren-Bravo.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-134593" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Darren-Bravo.jpg" alt="Darren Bravo" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-134593" class="wp-caption-text">Darren Bravo. (Photo Source: New Indian Express)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The batsman from West Indies was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders in this year&#8217;s player auction for INR 50 Lakh. The move had raised a few eyebrows as Bravo is not a renowned T2o specialist. He is known for his gritty batting in the longest version of the game and is not even a regular in the West Indies T20 squad.</p>
<p>He has played 12 T20Is so far for West Indies and has managed to score just 235 runs. His average is 21.36 at a below par strike rate of 111.9 and he doesn&#8217;t have a single half-century in the format. The record does not speak volumes about his caliber in the T20 format. Additionally, KKR have a powerful squad and even an all-rounder like Shakib Al Hasan is still waiting for his chances. It&#8217;s highly unlikely that Bravo would get a game this season.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#2 Saurabh Tiwary</h3>
<figure id="attachment_18256" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18256" style="width: 480px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/05/Saurabh-Tiwary-MI.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-18256" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Saurabh-Tiwary-MI.jpg" alt="Saurabh Tiwary MI" width="480" height="594" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-18256" class="wp-caption-text">Saurabh Tiwary (© Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The southpaw became an overnight sensation when he scored 419 runs in 16 matches while playing for Mumbai Indians in the year 2010. He was being dubbed as the left-handed version of MS Dhoni and was being seen as the next big thing of Indian cricket. He was then bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011 for a whopping USD 1.6 million.</p>
<p>But since that season, he went off the radar completely and had a dismal outing for RCB. The man from Jharkhand lost his golden touch and suffered a series of failures. He then went on to play for Delhi Daredevils and Rising Pune Supergiant in the following years. Recently, he was bought back by Mumbai Indians for just INR 30 Lakh. The Mumbai squad possesses a number of Indian and overseas players that stand in the way of Tiwary featuring in the XI.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#3 Usman Khawaja</h3>
<figure id="attachment_70159" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-70159" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/05/Usman-Khawaja.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-70159" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Usman-Khawaja.jpg" alt="Usman Khawaja" width="600" height="394" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-70159" class="wp-caption-text">Usman Khawaja. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The Australian left-handed batsman is known for his classical shots and gracious stroke making. He was once seen as a potential replacement for Ricky Ponting for the number 3 slot after his retirement. There is no doubt about his skills but somehow he hasn&#8217;t done his talent&#8217;s worth and the inconsistencies have kept him in and out of the Australian squad.</p>
<p>His stint with Sydney Thunder in 2015-16 where he scored 345 runs in just four T20s at a strike rate of 163.5 earned him a contract for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016. But he could not repeat the heroics for RPS and scored just 127 runs in 6 innings. He is still a part of the RPS squad but the likes of Faf du Plessis and Steven Smith would be preferred over him and it&#8217;s possible that he might not get a chance to play this year.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#4 Vinay Kumar</h3>
<figure id="attachment_17351" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17351" style="width: 825px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/04/R-Vinay-Kumar-MI.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-17351" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/R-Vinay-Kumar-MI.jpg" alt="R Vinay Kumar MI" width="825" height="580" sizes="(max-width: 825px) 100vw, 825px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17351" class="wp-caption-text">R Vinay Kumar (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The fast bowler has been a heavy performer in Indian domestic cricket and also represented India across all formats. He became famous for his ability to swing the ball and his out-swingers against the right-handed batsmen used to be the prolific wicket-taking delivery. His international career wasn&#8217;t as successful and the last he played for the national side was way back in November 2013.</p>
<p>When it comes to IPL, he is vastly experienced and has played 102 matches in which he picked up 101 wickets. Currently, he is with the Mumbai Indians after playing for three other franchises. The Mumbai squad is doing pretty well in this edition with their fast bowlers Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell McClenaghan doing a great job. Even Tim Southee and Mitchell Johnson are waiting in the wings. The current form of the team doesn&#8217;t require any changes and Kumar might end up bowling only in the nets this season.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>#5 Kane Williamson</h3>
<figure id="attachment_65275" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65275" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/04/Kane-Williamson.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-65275" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Kane-Williamson.jpg" alt="Kane Williamson Sunrisers Hyderabad" width="600" height="334" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65275" class="wp-caption-text">Kane Williamson (Photo Source: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The right-handed batsman from New Zealand is regarded as one of the best batsmen of the modern era. His classical strokes are a sheer treat to watch regardless of the format. But he has been made to sit out so far in the Sunrisers Hyderabad dressing room. The limit of 4 overseas players in a playing XI doesn&#8217;t allow him to break through otherwise the number 3 ranked T20 batsman in the world is capable of making it to any squad in the game.</p>
<p>Sunrisers were the champions last year but the Kiwi batsman didn&#8217;t contribute to that a lot. He played 6 matches for them in 2016 and scored just 124 runs at an average of 20.67. His average record last year is the reason why he hasn&#8217;t been picked in the XI yet and with the likes of Moises Henriques and Ben Cutting doing well already and fighting for a spot, Williamson&#8217;s chances look bleak to feature in the side this year.</p>

The number of players in an IPL squad is huge and it doesn't allow a chance to everyone to get a game

5 players who might not get to play a single game in IPL10

The IPL allows the team owners to keep a flurry of players in their squad and the captain and the coach of a team have plenty of options to choose from