IPL 10 : Players who didn't play a single game this season

The tenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) ended on 21st May. Mumbai Indians won a thriller of an encounter against Rising Pune Supergiant. It was a low-scoring encounter and bowlers of Mumbai Indians pulled off a top-drawer performance to get the narrowest possible victory against their Maharashtrian rivals Pune. Over the decade, we have seen many unknown talents getting unearthed at the grand stage. From Rajasthan Royals’ Swapnil Asnodkar to Kings XI Punjab’s Paul Valthaty, we have been mesmerized time and again. Many young players stole the show this time as well. Mumbai’s Nitish Rana and Pune’s Rahul Tripathi made names for themselves. But on the other hand, many well-known overseas players had to spend the entire duration of the tournament on the bench. They were considered as excess by their team, and all they could do was enjoy the match from the dugout. Here are some of the well-known player who didn’t play a single game this year #1 Darren Sammy Darren Sammy. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) If anyone is making such a list, Darren Sammy’s name has to come first without any doubt. His best season in the IPL was in 2013, when Sunrisers Hyderabad reached the play-offs stages. West Indies has won 2 ICC World Cup T20 titles under his captaincy. But Kings XI Punjab’s captain Glenn Maxwell never had the Caribbean maestro in his plans. Sammy is the captain of a Pakistan Super League and a Bangladesh Premier League franchise as well. But in the IPL, all he did was watch the game from the bench. #2 Usman Khawaja Usman Khawaja. (Photo Source: BCCI) The Australian opening batsman was the hot topic of discussion after the ICC World Cup T20. He was the leading run-scorer for Australia in the tournament. Soon, he was picked in the IPL 2016 by Rising Pune Supergiant. Two of Supergiant’s star batter, namely- Kevin Pietersen and Faf du Plessis were nursing injuries. Hence, they called Khawaja as a replacement. The Aussie batsman scored 127 runs in 6 matches, with an average of over 20. He had a healthy strike rate of over 125. But this year, he did not get a chance in the team led by the new captain Steve Smith. Smith had no place for his country-mate in his best XI. #3 Rovman Powell Rovman Powell. (Photo By Randy Brooks/Sportsfile via Getty Images) Kolkata Knight Riders’ star all-rounder Andre Russell’s name was missing from the squad list this year as he was serving a ban. But KKR management caught hold of his countryman Rovman Powell in the auction. Powell had an exceptional campaign in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Because of his hard-hitting style and all-round abilities, he was termed as “Junior Russell”. After the auction, Knight Riders’ skipper Gautam Gambhir exclaimed his joy by saying that he thought Powell will fetch a heftier price and they got at a very cheap price. But Gambhir changed his mind a couple of months later, as Colin de Grandhomme was preferred ahead of the “Junior Russell”. Powell spent his entire debut season on the bench. #4 Tabraiz Shamsi Tabraiz Shamsi. (Photo Source: BCCI) The South African chinaman spinner played his debut season last year for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was brought in the squad as an injury replacement for the West Indian spinner Samuel Badree. But Shamsi took little time in making a name for himself. More than taking wickets, he bacame famous for his unusual celebration. Fans embraced his ‘bus driver’ celebration with both hands. But with the return of Badree, Shamsi was again demoted to the bench. The chinaman spinner spent the entire IPL in the dugout as fans missed his crazy celebratory moves after picking up a wicket. #5 Asela Gunaratne Asela Gunaratne of Sri Lanka. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) The Sri Lankan batsman came into fame after a superb match-winning knock against the mighty Australia. He soon made a place for himself in the squad of one of the best team of IPL. Sources reveal that Mumbai Indians’ Sri Lankan employees, namely- Head Coach Mahela Jayawardene and speedster Lasith Malinga wanted to have the 31-year old batsman on their team. But Asela never got a chance in the playing XI, as Mumbai didn’t want to change their winning combination. Mumbai is a very settled side and after Buttler left the side, Lendl Simmons filled up his vacant shoes. It is hard for any player, especially overseas, to get a chance in the Mumbai Indians playing XI.

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IPL 10 : Players who didn't play a single game this season

Few well-known international players did not get a single chance in this year's IPL

#5 Asela Gunaratne

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