IPL 2021: Benched XI of the tournament

The IPL 2021 is now almost over with only the final clash remaining between KKR and CSK. With the tourmaline being conducted during the pandemic, the board has done a decent job of conducting the second leg of the tournament at UAE. This time, the fans witnessed many surprises. 

Well, for instance, say the story of Venkatesh Iyer. The southpaw was a popular name in the domestic circuit. But, recently, he made headlines during the second half. This is what IPL does, it brings the best out of unknown faces. 

With the teams sticking to core members and opting for other players as replacements, the franchises fielded almost every player from the squad. Although few players missed the chance to represent their franchise on regular occasions, here is the

Benched XI of the IPL 2021

1. Chris Lynn(captain) 

Chris Lynn is one of the most destructive batsmen in the world. His clean ball-striking ability makes him one of the most fearful batsmen to bowl to. Lynn’s batting abilities need no introduction. 

 For a batsman who smashes the ball out of the Gabba for fun, and appearance tally of a single game is not justified. This season, Lynn played the opening game of the tournament. In that game, he scored 49 runs. Although he lost, Lynn did his job to perfection.

 But, we can infer that MI was not the perfect franchise for Lynn. With De Kock and Rohit in the side, it was always hard for any overseas batsman to cut. Hopefully, we will see more of Lynn during the next edition. 

 2. N Jagadeesan(wicketkeeper)

 N Jagadeesan is one of the finest wicketkeepers in the domestic circuit. Well, most of the fans might not have seen much of him mainly because of Dhoni’s presence. But, the youngster has a bright future ahead of him.

Jagadeesan has played 35 T20s so far. With 702 runs at an average of 35.10, he has been a consistent performer. A strike rate of 125.35 will improve if he gets more chances. Adding on, he has 4 half-centuries as well in the format.

In the IPL, Jagadeesan has played just 5 games so far. His IPL stats do not speak much, but he is a good prospect if CSK decides to go for him in the wicketkeeping option. Apart from that, his safe gloveman skills will somehow manage to secure that no silly catches or stumpings are dropped. 

3. Dawid Malan 

 Coming in at number three is the highest-ranked T20 batsman in the world. Dawid Malan has been England’s go-to man on every occasion. Be it scoring at a high pace or anchoring the innings, Malan has done it all. 

But a batsman like Malan was unable to establish himself. He was drafted into the PBKS side at his base price. But, he got only one chance during the first leg of the tournament.  

With just 26 runs at a strike rate of 100 did not work well for his side. During the second half, he decided not to travel to UAE. But, hopefully, he will find a better franchise next season. 

 4. Tim David

 Tim David made it to the headlines after he was picked up by RCB just before the second leg of the tournament. The Singapore-based cricketer is a well-known hitter and a decent bowler. His impressive performances around the globe enabled him to make it to the toughest league in the world. 

David has played 63 T20 games in his career. With 1469 runs at a strike rate of 153.50, David can smoke the ball out of the ground at ease. Apart from that, he has the highest score of 92 in T20s as well. 

Talking about his bowling, David can bowl in a couple of overs. This makes him an asset to any team. In his career, he has picked 5 wickets. This is mainly because he is more of a batsman than a bowler. 

 5. Sheldon Jackson    

Sheldon Jackson is one of the fittest cricketers in India The batsman has been unlucky as he has been unable to get a national call-up even at an average of 49.42 in First-Class cricket. Apart from this, he has been unable to make it to represent KKR as well. 

 Jackson has played 59 T20s so far. With 1240 runs to his name at a decent average of 25.83, he can play the role of the anchor if required. With so many batting collapses occurring recently in T20s, he can be an asset to any team. 

Talking about his fielding, he is a save fielder. Well, he is one of the fittest sportspersons in India and he usually shares his workouts on Instagram. Jackson deserves a place in the playing XI of a franchise and lets us hope he finds one in the next year. 

 6. Anukul Roy

 Anukul Roy was the joint leading wicket-taker for India U19 during the 2018 U19 World Cup. The talented youngster has impressed both with the bat and the ball. With 14 wickets in 6 games at the World Cup, he was a great asset for the team. 

But unfortunately, he has not been used regularly by the Mumbai Indians. He played just a single game during the 2019 edition. In that game, he picked a wicket for 11 runs in two overs. 

His main role was of being the substitute fielder. There is no doubt that his talent was underused by MI. It is a shame that they went on to give Krunal more chances even when he failed and a talented player like Roy had to warm the benches. 

7. K Gowtham

Gowtham is a street smart cricketer who has been a decent performer in the domestic circuit. The all-rounder was picked by the Chennai-based franchise for a whopping amount of 9 crores. But till now, he has not played a game so far.

 Gowthan has been so impressive in domestic cricket, even the selectors picked him for the tour of Sri Lanka. Although he failed on his debut, his IPL stats speak something about his talent. In 24 games, he has scored 186 runs with a strike rate of 169.09. 

Adding on, he is a decent bowler as well. With an economy of 8.26, Gowtham has picked 13 wickets in his career. Apart from that, he is a safe fielder as well. For the Chennai Super Kings, he is a regular substitute fielder. 

 8. Kamlesh Nagarkoti

Kamlesh Nagarkoti is a youngster who can bowl over 145 kph regularly. His excellent bowling skills were on display during the 2018 U19 World cup. Subsequently, he was picked up by the Kolkata Knight Riders during the auctions. 

But, he made his IPL debut in 2020. His debut season did not go well as he could pick only 5 wickets in 10 games. A bowling average of 46.20 is also not impressive. However, his bright talent should have been used more by the management this year. 

This time, he played just a single game and bowled at an economy rate of 12.50. It looks like he might find a new home next season. If given more chances there is no doubt that he will improve as a bowler. 

 9. Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav was a regular member of the national side. He was the premier spinner for Team India. Along with Chahal, he used to form a formidable bowling partnership. However, injuries have hampered his career, and hence, he has been dropped out of his teams.

This year, he could not make it to the playing eleven. Well, he has been a decent bowler for his franchise. In 45 games, he has picked 40 wickets with an average of 8.28. Adding on, he has the best bowling figure of 4/20 in IPL. 

Talking about his T20I figures, Kuldeep has played 22 games and has picked 41 wickets so far. With an economy rate of 7.15, Kuldeep is one of the most impactful spinners in recent years. Hence, in this team, he is our first spinner as his ability to pick up wickets makes him an asset here. 

 10. Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav is the kind of bowler who is not known for his consistency. But, there is that one over or two he bowls that turns the match around. His swinging deliveries are lethal for any batsman in any format. 

Adding on, his raw pace can trouble the batsmen as well. Yadav has played 121 IPL games and has picked 119 wickets. With the best bowling figure of 4/24, he has been a match-winner when on the song. 

 This time, he was a part of the Delhi Capitals squad. But the rise of Avesh Khan and a weak middle order meant that he had to warm the benches. However, he might find some better opportunities next year. The talent of a bowler like Umesh should never go unutilized. 

 11. Tabraiz Shamsi

At number 11, we have the number one bowler in the format. Tabraiz Shamsi has been making the headlines because of his excellent bowling efforts for South Africa. Adding on, he was drafted by the Rajasthan Royals for the second half of the tournament. 

Shamsi played just a single game and went on to give away 34 runs without picking a wicket. In IPL, he has played 5 games and picked up 3 wickets. Well, the lack of opportunities for Shamsi is the reason for such poor numbers. 

On the other hand, he has played 42 T20Is so far. In 42 games, he has picked 49 wickets at an economy of 6.79 runs per over. A bowling average of 21.61 is quite impressive as well at that economy rate. Hence, our team comprises the best batsman and the best bowler in the format.