Three IPL players who were replacement signings but became stars at the end of season

It is the second week of IPL 2019, and till now it has been a blockbuster with its power packed action and melodrama. Fans all over the world have enjoyed the pyrotechnics of their favorite superstars. Like every year, this season has already produced some nail-biters and it is clear from the points table where 4 teams are tied at the top. One thing which has not changed over the years is that IPL and injury list go hand in hand, as nearly 60 matches are played in less than two months.

Every year franchise buy a particular set of players according to the team’s requirements, but unfortunately, some of the stars pull out before or during the event due to injuries or personal commitments. This can cripple the strategies of teams, but the league have always allowed the franchises to sign replacements. At that time some unsold players get lucky as they get an IPL contract for at least a season. Most of the time replacement players are just considered as back up options for the main players, but there have been instances where the teams have struck gold.

The following are the 3 IPL players who were replacement signings but became stars at the end of season:

1) Chris Gayle – 2011, RCB

During the inaugural IPL auction Chris Gayle was snapped up by the KKR franchise, but international duties and groin injury kept him away for that season. He returned for the next two seasons but delivered some mediocre performances which prompted the franchise to drop him. All these time Dirk Nannes was generating good numbers for DD and in 2010 auction as RCB was looking for a bowler to team up with Zaheer Khan they decided to bid for Nannes and paid a hefty amount in return. Nannes started impressively as he picked up 2 wickets in 2 games, but a side strain injury ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Immediately RCB decided to sign a replacement and Chris Gayle was the lucky pick to get a new contract. After warming the benches for a couple of games the Bangalore franchise decided to play Gayle against his former team, and he shone with an astonishing 55-ball 102 not out. The Caribbean southpaw ended up with 608 runs in 12 innings with a strike rate of 180 and propelled the RCB unit to playoffs where they lost to the eventual champions CSK. Gayle proved his worth as he scored 2 centuries and bagged the Orange Cap in just a handful of games and became a match winner for RCB for the coming seasons.

2) Lendl Simmons – 2014, MI

Mumbai Indians entered the IPL 2014 as defending champions and they had the players to win it for the second time. During the auction, the franchise decided to spend on local talents and fished out the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder, Jalaj Saxena after his dream run in the Ranji trophy 2013-14 where he finished up with 2 10-wicket hauls and 545 runs. The season started on a sour note for the MI camp as they lost 4 straight games. It seemed the team was on a downward spiral as the players were not meeting the expectations.

During this crisis the franchise decided to release Jalaj Saxena due to some unknown reasons, and right after that signed up the WI batsman Lendl Simmons as a replacement. It was the first IPL for Simmons and Mumbai franchise gave him the opening duties, and he didn’t disappoint. He scored run-a-ball 38 in the first match against CSK and hammered a half-century against SRH in the next game. He started showing his abilities quickly as he scored a century against Punjab in the 5th game. At the end of season he amassed 394 runs in 8 innings and was one of the reasons for MI’s revival in 2014 campaign where they lost in playoffs to CSK.

3) Imran Tahir – 2017, RPS

Imran Tahir was picked up by the Delhi Daredevils in 2014 and had instant success when teamed up with fellow leggie Amit Mishra as he picked 9 wickets in 6 games and in the following season he picked up 15 wickets in 10 games. After a moderate season of IPL 2016, Tahir was dropped and went into the auction pool again. Rising Pune Supergiants had a disastrous opening season as they won only 5 games out of 14. Mitchell Marsh was warming the benches for most of the time in IPL 2016 as he played only 3 games and in that he could only manage 7 runs, but fared better with the ball as he picked up 4 wickets.

Marsh was retained by the franchise even after a poor outing but as the fate would have it he suffered a shoulder injury in the India v Australia Test series which was played out just before the IPL 2017 season. As Marsh was out for longtime RPS quickly named the replacement in the form of Imran Tahir, and it was blessing for the franchise as their premier spinner Ashwin pulled out just after the signing of Tahir. The South African spinner gleefully accepted his opportunity with both bands and in the first game itself outfoxed 3 batsmen and in total Tahir scalped 18 wickets in 12 games which included 3 three-wicket hauls and his economy was under 7.9. RPS reached the final where they lost to MI in a cliffhanger but Tahir was one of their torchbearers in that season.

It is very rare that replacement players get into the playing XI straightaway as there are various players of original squad waiting in the wings. Sometimes stars align for the players at right time and they become superstars within couple of hours.

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