IPL 2019: 5 Unsold players who could have helped RCB qualify for the playoffs

The 12th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is coming to an end with four teams – Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) qualifying for the playoffs. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the IPL team with one of the largest fan base, crashed out once again in the league stage. With five wins from 14 games, RCB finished at the last position ahead of the playoffs.

There were no quality Indian all-rounders, the middle order was weak and bowlers were leaking runs at the death. There were a few impressive individual performances by AB De Villiers and the Skipper Virat Kohli with both scoring 442 and 464 runs respectively in the tournament. But the team, as a whole, did not perform well.

The dismal performance by the RCB franchise has raised several questions on team management. Over dependency on Virat Kohli and ABD has yet again backfired on them. Notably, there were a few mistakes made by the team management in the selection of players as many unsold players who could have done a much better job were not selected.

Here we bring you the list of 5 Unsold players who could have helped RCB to qualify for the playoffs:

1. Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary was once considered as the next big thing in the Indian Cricket but unfortunately, he could not make it big due to lack of opportunities. He has been a part of 10 IPL seasons and his experience would have been gold dust for RCB. Unfortunately, the right-handed batsman from Bengal failed to find any buyers for a base price of Rs 50 lakhs.

Instead, RCB bought Shivam Dube for a whopping Rs 5 crores and didn’t give him enough chances. Another Indian batsman Akshdeep Nath also could not set the stage on fire. The team lacked a quality Indian batsman in the middle-order. Manoj Tiwary could have been an ideal choice for that role as he has the ability to consolidate and also to use the long handle.

He played the role of the finisher for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant but surprisingly has fallen off the radar since the 2017 season. He played for Kings XI Punjab last year but no team showed interest in him this season.

2. Adam Zampa

The 27-year-old from New South Wales in his young days drew immediate comparisons with Shane Warne. He is from the old school of spinners who loves to flight the ball and deceive the batsman. He was the highest wicket-taker for Australia in the T20 World Cup 2016. The highlight of his bowling was his miserly economy of 6.27

The young leg-spinner enjoys bowling on dry Indian wickets. In the 2016 IPL edition, he claimed 6 wickets for 19 runs against the Sunrisers Hyderabad while playing for RPS. In the recent Australia’s tour of India, Zampa was the highest wicket-taker for Australia in the ODI series. He has played 11 matches in IPL taking 19 wickets at an impressive average of 14.63 and a miserly economy rate of 7.55.

With Yuzvendra Chahal already in the side, Zampa could have made a very good bowling partnership with him. The duo would’ve tormented the opposition batsmen with their variations.

3. Zahir Khan

Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and now Zahir Khan. It would not be wrong to say that Afghanistan is producing some quality spinners. The 20-year-old from Afghanistan is not just a wrist spinner but also a chinaman which is a rare talent to have. He rose to fame while playing for Afghanistan U19 side as he had a great contribution to the team’s success.

He was selected in the Rajasthan Royals squad in the IPL 2018, but unfortunately, he could not play any game due to the shoulder injury. Nevertheless, it is always a learning curve to share a dressing room with the legend Shane Warne who was with the team as a mentor.

Zahir Khan has been a part of many T20 tournaments like the Bangladesh Premier League, Caribbean Premier League and Pakistan Super League. He also got a contract from the English county Lancashire in 2018. The chinaman could have really made a difference for RCB as he could have been used as a surprise weapon by the team.

4. Jimmy Neesham

The 28-year-old from Auckland came into limelight as a promising all-rounder in the 2010 U19 World Cup. Neesham performed fantastically in the 2013 Champions league playing for the Otago Volts. He was bought by Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in 2014 and in the following season by the Kolkata Knight Riders.

His big hitting abilities can be an asset for any team. The left-hander was at his belligerent best against Sri Lanka recently playing in front of his home crowd as he blasted 47 runs off just 13 balls and 64 off just 37 balls in the two ODIs. He is also a decent medium pace bowler who can be used in death overs as well.

He has only played four IPL matches so far which is a very small sample size to judge. But playing for New Zealand Neesham has taken 11 wickets in 15 matches with an economy rate of 7.92 and has smashed 192 runs with an impressive strike-rate of 131. He could have been an ideal all-rounder for RCB with the likes of Colin de Grandhomme and Shivam Dube failing to step up.

5. Jason Holder

The 6 feet 7 inches tall lad from Barbados is the man chosen to lead the Windies in the World Cup 2019. He was the leading wicket-taker for the island nation in the 2010 U19 World Cup. He made his International debut in 2013 against Australia. Impressed by his performances in the shorter format, he was snaffled by the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL at a base price of USD 20,000. While in the following season, he was picked by Hyderabad.

Holder’s USP is his height which gets him the extra bounce from the wicket by hitting the deck hard. He can pack a punch as well batting down the order. He has played 11 T20 Internationals for the Caribbean team scoring 60 runs at a strike rate of 107.14 and has also taken 9 wickets at an economy rate of less than 8. Holder could’ve played a crucial role for RCB as his quick bouncers would’ve hurried the batsmen more often.

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