IPL: 5 players who spent most seasons on bench before making debut
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.
4. Sandeep Warrier
Sandeep Warrier has vast experience in first-class cricket as he delivered some sensational bowling figures to Kerala and Tamil Nadu from 2012-22. Scalping 206 wickets in 63 matches, he served both his teams efficiently. However, in the cash-rich league, the pacer has been unlucky as he didn’t get enough opportunities from the franchises he played for.
In 2013, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) signed him before the sixth season but could not include him playing XI due to the availability of some experienced bowlers. In the 2014 mega auction, he was roped in by RCB again for the seventh edition. But again he failed to make a debut in the league till 2015.
In 2019, he made a debut for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the league against Mumbai Indians (MI) but ended up being wicketless. In his second game, he contributed to the franchise’s victory against Punjab Kings (PBKS) dismissing Chris Gayle and KL Rahul. After being a part of KKR for three seasons (2019-2021), he was released by the franchise before the 2022 auction. With two wickets in five IPL matches, he couldn’t attract buyers at the mega auction in February.
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