IPL: 5 players who spent most seasons on bench before making debut

Every young cricketer strives to play the Indian Premier League (IPL) to thrive in their career. In the last few years, the IPL has helped many youngsters to develop their skills by delivering a competitive environment in which they play with and against renowned international players. Names such as Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Yuzvendra Chahal got a chance in the league and showed their brilliance to break into the national team.

On the other side, there have been some names who were unfortunate in their initial years of the league, as despite getting franchises at the auction, they continued warming the bench before making their debut. However, after being patient for a few years, they became a part of the playing XI and made their debut.

Here are 5 players who warmed the bench for most editions before making their IPL debut:

5. Siddhesh Lad

Siddhesh Lad has more than nine years of experience in first-class cricket. Representing Mumbai and Goa, he played some brilliant knocks and become one of their match-winners. In 107 innings, he scored 4,171 runs with eight centuries and 27 half-centuries.

Back in 2015, he was bought by five-time champions Mumbai Indians. However, he did not get a chance to play for four seasons (2015-1018). In 2019, after warming the bench for four years, he got a chance to make his debut in the league against Punjab Kings. In the absence of injured Rohit Sharma, he scored 15 runs off 13 deliveries.

After the return of skipper Sharma, he did not get a chance to feature in the playing XI again. In November, he was traded to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by Mumbai Indians. However, he was unlucky there too as the franchise never gave him a chance to make a debut for it. In the 2021 auction, he went under the hammer for one more time after getting released by the Knight Riders. This time, he did not get any buyers as no one showed interest in him.