Best XI that never played IPL

T20 cricket has arguably emerged as the most popular format of the game with many youngsters being more interested in this version than the other two. IPL has played a major role in this and almost every cricketer dreams of playing in the league. With such a high level of quality, there is a lot to learn from the senior pros, and apart from the cricketing side of things, even the financial aspect is quite attractive. Overseas players like David Warner, Chris Gayle, and Lasith Malinga have been a major reason behind the league’s success, but not all overseas players get the chance to prove themselves due to the limited spots. Thus, we see several quality overseas players going unsold every year and there are some who have unfortunately not bagged a bid even once in their career. Therefore, let’s take a look at- Best XI who could never play IPL 1. Devon Conway Devon Conway. (Photo Souce: Getty Images) Devon Conway is a New Zealand opener, who has recently made a name for himself after years of struggle. He came to New Zealand from South Africa in order to fulfill his cricketing ambitions and even made his international debut in late 2020. He has been pretty successful in his short international career thus far and has scored plenty of runs. In 14 T20Is, he has batted on 11 occasions and scored 473 runs at an average of 59.12 while maintaining a brilliant strike rate of 151.11. He has already scored four half-centuries. In his overall T20 career, he has scored 3149 runs in 89 innings at a strike rate of nearly 130 while averaging 44.35 with two centuries and 23 half-centuries. With such an impressive track record, it won’t be long before we see the 29-year-old make his IPL debut. 2. Tamim Iqbal Tamim Iqbal. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Tamim Iqbal has been one of Bangladesh’s biggest players over the last decade and has played a very important role in their rise in recent times. At the top of the order, he has been a consistent source of runs for them and is their highest run-scorer of all time in all three formats. In 78 T20Is, he has scored 1758 runs at an average of 24.08 and strikes at just below 117. In general, he has 6173 runs to his name in 218 T20s at a strike rate of 119.16 while averaging more than 31. He has also scored 3 centuries. While he is a pretty good run-scorer, he can be a bit too slow and franchises usually expect their overseas batsmen to be explosive and this might have held back teams from bidding for the Bangladeshi. 3. Joe Root (C) Joe Root. (Photo Source: ECB/Twitter) Joe Root is one of the biggest names in world cricket and has been amongst the best players over the last decade. Hence, it’s quite surprising that he’s never played an IPL match given that he is also a part of this generation’s fab 4. He has played 32 T20Is for England and averages 35 while striking at 126. In 77 T20s, he has scored 1897 runs at an average of 33.28 and has a pretty good strike rate of 128.17. The Englishman also has 13 half-centuries to his name. He gave his name for the IPL Auction in 2018, but surprisingly went unsold and hasn’t registered himself for any auctions other than that. The 30-year-old is a world-class batsman and would be an asset to any team, and hopefully, it won’t be long before we see him in action for an IPL team. 4. Rassie van der Dussen Rassie van der Dussen. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) Rassie van der Dussen was South Africa’s direct replacement for AB de Villiers and it would be safe to say that he has certainly done his best to try and fill the huge gap. He’s been a prolific run-scorer for them and has quickly made himself an undroppable asset. He averages nearly 81 in ODIs and 41.86 in T20Is, which speaks volumes about his consistency. He also has a strike rate of nearly 140 in the shortest format of the game for his country. In 126 T20s, he has scored 3824 runs at an average of 38.62 while striking at 131.31. The 32-year-old went unsold in the 2021mauction but was selected as a replacement player by the Rajasthan Royals after four overseas players left mid-way through the tournament. However, he was denied the NOC, and thus, he still remains without an IPL cap. 5. Mushfiqur Rahim (WK) Mushfiqur Rahim. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images) Another Bangladeshi legend, even Mushfiqur Rahim is yet to play in the IPL. He has been a pillar of his national team for several years and has scored plenty of runs as a middle-order batsman. In 202 T20s, he has scored 4288 at an average of 28.97 and has a decent strike rate of 127.96 while breaching the 50-run mark on 25 occasions. However, his T20I stats aren’t that appealing as he averages just 20.03 while striking at 120.03 after more than 80 games. He has been quite unlucky not to be picked even once and the only reason behind it might be his rather poor numbers for his country in this format. With younger and more explosive wicket-keeper batsmen emerging, the 34-year-old might find it difficult to bag an IPL, contract. 6. Glenn Philipps Glenn Phillips. (Photo Source: Twitter) There haven’t been a whole lot of New Zealand players who have participated in the IPL and thus, it is no surprise that there is another one in this XI as Glenn Philips. He has been a part of their T20I team for quite some time now and can also keep wickets. He has played 506 runs in 25 T20Is at an average of 28.11 while scoring at nearly 150. In 114 T20s, he has 3030 runs to his name at an average of 30.91 at a strike rate of 140.21 and has scored four centuries as well. Given his explosive style of batting and the fact that he can also keep wickets, it is a bit of a surprise that he hasn’t managed to play yet. However with the two-team expansion next season, he could find himself a bidder and a potential IPL debut as well. 7. Mohammad Saifuddin Mohammad Saifuddin. (Photo Source: Twitter) The third Bangladesh player on the list, Mohammad Saifuddin is much more recent compared to the other two and could turn out to be an important player in the future. The 24-year-old is primarily a fast bowler, who can also do a bit during the end of the innings. In 60 T20s, he has picked up 73 wickets at a good strike rate of 16.6 while conceding at 8.19. He has also scored 278 runs, although his strike rate of 110.31 is a bit concerning. In his career thus far, he has shown that he has a habit of picking up wickets regularly but he can be a bit expensive at times. He is far from being a finished product just yet and thus, it is no surprise that he is yet to bag a bid. However, the lack of all-rounders means that he makes it to the XI and it will take at least a couple of years before he attracts a bid from a team. 8. Qais Ahmad Qais Ahmad. (Photo by Daniel Pockett – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images) Qais Ahmad is one of Afghanistan’s many mystery spinners at present and at the age of 20, he has already proven himself in quite a few leagues around the world. The legspinner has got several variations up his sleeve and is a major wicket-taking threat. In 67 appearances in the shortest format of the game, he has picked up 77 wickets at a strike rate of 17.8 while conceding at just 7.15. He has also played a T20I for his country and returned with figures of 3/25 from that game. Given the lack of demand for overseas spinners in general, it isn’t surprising that a young and raw talent like him hasn’t been picked up yet. However, with even more experience it wouldn’t be a major surprise if he gets picked soon with two new teams coming in. 9. Adil Rashid LEEDS, ENGLAND – JULY 17: Adil Rashid of England (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Adil Rashid has been one of the best-limited overs’ spinners over the last few years and has been a regular part of England’s white-ball teams. He has been among the leading wicket-takers in international cricket in the last few years. In 184 T20s, he has picked up 205 wickets at a strike rate of 18.40 while conceding at 7.44. In the same format for England, he has played 57 games and picked up 55 wickets at an economy rate of 7.54 while picking up a wicket every 21.1 balls on average. Given his success at the international level, it is a surprise that he has gone unsold so many times and even the two-team expansion might not help him as franchises just don’t seem to favour him for some or other reason. 10. Stuart Broad Stuart Broad. (Photo by MICHAEL STEELE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Stuart Broad might not have played a T20 in over 4 years, but he is still a quality bowler and continues to impress everyone in the longest and purest format of the game. The Englishman is a veteran in Test matches having played nearly 150 games and has picked up more than 500 wickets as well. In the shortest format of the game, he has scalped 100 wickets in 85 games at a strike rate of 17.80 and even his economy rate of 7.19 is quite good. He is also his country’s 2nd highest wicket-taker in this format with 65 wickets in 56 appearances. The 34-year-old was a part of Kings XI Punjab’s squad back in 2011, but injury ruled him out from taking any part, and thus, he still remains without an IPL appearance. With the fast bowler not playing T20 cricket anymore, there is absolutely no chance for him to take part in the league. 11. Naveen-ul-Haq Naveen Ul Haq. (Photo Source: Twitter) The appearance of a 2nd Afghanistan player in the list in the form of Naveen ul Haq shows how far the country has come in the game as a few years ago, no one would have thought that players from this country would play in the biggest cricketing league. Naveen is a talented fast bowler who has made a name for himself in a few other leagues. With 58 wickets in 53 games at a strike rate of 18.9, he has shown that he is no mug and his economy rate of 7.45 is impressive. The 21-year-old is pretty effective during the death overs as well. He has also picked up 13 wickets in 8 T20Is at a strike rate of 12.9 while conceding at less than 7 per over. Overseas fast bowlers are always in demand during IPL auctions and with a year left for him to further improve his skills, it shouldn’t be a surprise if he ends up attracting a few bids from franchises.

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