IPL 2021: Predicted Benched XI Which Can Beat Any Team In The Tournament

With IPL getting a lot more competitive over the years, a lot of world-class players could be on the verge of being benched the entire tournament this year. The last edition of the IPL saw a lot of players who had success in the past being benched including the likes of Mohammad Nabi, Chris Lynn.

This could be a year when the margin of errors gets tighter and the players in the starting cannot afford to underperform. It is time to look at the predicted benched XI which can beat any team in the tournament for the IPL 2021.

IPL 2021: Predicted Benched XI Which Can Beat Any Team In The Tournament:

Chris Lynn(C):

The Australian explosive batsman Chris Lynn had to be benched throughout the season last year as Mumbai Indians had two established openers in the form of Rohit Sharma and Quinton De Kock. The 30-year-old has played 41 IPL games so far scoring 1280 runs at an impressive strike rate of 140.5

His ability to hit long sixes has been a great feature in him and he is one of those names playing all around the world in T20 tournaments. With Mumbai Indians not likely to change their opening combination, it won’t be a surprise if Chris Lynn gets benched throughout the season this time too despite his calibre.

Cheteshwar Pujara:

Cheteshwar Pujara was picked by the Chennai Super Kings franchise in the 2021 auction but he would most probably be benched throughout the tournament as CSK have a lot of options already. They have traded in Robin Uthappa and also Rutuiraj Gaikwad showed a lot of promise last year which will be very tough for Pujara to break in.

Also, if Pujara is picked in the XI, he would be more suited to playing in the top to increase his scoring opportunities while youngsters Jagadeesan and Hari Nishaath are waiting in the wings already. Pujara has also played 30 games in the IPL scoring 390 runs at a career strike rate of 99.7 with the highest score of 51.

Anmolpreet Singh:

Mumbai Indians have a strong Indian batting line-up boasting of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and have the backups in Saurabh Tiwary, Adithya Tare. This makes it almost impossible for the domestic sensation Anmolpreet Singh to break into the playing XI despite being in the shades of Indian selectors.

The 22-year-old who was part of the Indian U-19 side is expected to become a superstar in the future. He averages more than 44 in his first-class career with the highest score of 267. He has been in the reserves for the Indian team and will surely be a good prospect in the upcoming editions. However, with a strong squad, he is more likely to sit out in this edition.

Sheldon Jackson(WK):

Sheldon Jackson who was currently playing for the Pudhucherry team in the Vijay Hazare Trophy has been part of the IPL before and he was one of the brightest prospects while arriving in the domestic circuit. He has been part of the RCB franchise and the KKR franchise in the past but hasn’t had ample opportunities to prove himself.

The right-hand wicket-keeper batsman averages more than 49 in first-class cricket and has been a big name in the domestic circuits for a long time now. His experience will certainly be handy and Kolkata Knight Riders have brought up a wise Indian back up option for Dinesh Karthik. He might not get the nod due to the weightage of the KKR squad.

Rinku Singh:

Rinku Singh has been in the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for a long time now but has got very little opportunities with the bat. The KKR side have also brought in Karun Nair and with the likes of Rahul Tripathy, Nitish Rana, it will be tough for Rinku Singh to get a game this year too.

Rinku Singh averages over 60 in his first-class career for Uttara Pradesh and has played 10 IPL games in the past.

Mohammad Nabi:

The Afghanistan all-rounder has been a great addition to any team that he has been picked and looks to be have found the finisher role to be perfect for him. The off-spinner has played 14 IPL games in the past and has picked up 11 wickets at an impressive economy rate of just 6.54.

He can bowl in any conditions and at any situation giving the captain an extra advantage. With Sunrisers having to accommodate a fast-bowling all-rounder, it will be tough for Nabi to get a game and he could be benched for the whole tournament despite being a world-class all-rounder.

Lalit Yadav:

Lalit Yadav is an impressive all-rounder from Delhi who did not get a chance in the playing XI last year. He can bowl some useful off-spin while he can be a destructive finisher too. He was recently seen playing for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy where he did decently and looks to be a good prospect for the future.

Delhi Capitals have a lot of all-rounders in the form of Axar Patel, R Ashwin, and Marcus Stoinis and it will be difficult for them to accommodate Lalit Yadav in the playing XI. He could play the role of a K Gowtham if he gets a chance which is most unlikely to happen.

R Sai Kishore:

Sai Kishore has been on the sidelines of Chennai Super Kings and is yet to make his IPL debut despite being impressive in the domestic tournaments. His accuracy with the length and lines has been outstanding and played a huge part in the title-winning campaign for Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

With a lot of experienced spinners in the squad, Sai Kishore will have to wait for a bit longer to get his turn. Sai Kishore has an economy rate of 5.28 in the T20 format.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman:

Mujeeb Ur Rahman was picked up by the Sunrisers team in the Auction 2018 and it was an extremely good buy considering the resources they have within the side. He could be a like for like replacement with Rashid Khan if it all there are some injury concerns.

Rashid Khan is the number one spinner in the T20 format, it is highly unlikely for Mujeeb to get a chance in the playing XI ahead of the players waiting in the wings. Mujeeb is a world-class and has been very impressive around the world in the global T20 formats.

Basil Thampi:

Sunrisers have an array of Indian fast bowlers to choose from who could be a very handful to the franchise and the Kerala fast bowlers Basil Thampi could be the one to miss out in the pecking order. Natarajan’s rise in international cricket along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return has shattered the hopes of Basil Thampi playing.

Sidharth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma and Khaleel Ahmed look like the front runners for the job and it will be a big surprise if the franchise opts for Thampi ahead of the three fast bowlers. Basil Thampi has played in 20 IPL games taking 17 wickets overall but the worrying factor has been his economy rate being on the higher end.

Mustafizur Rahman:

Rajasthan Royals picked up Mustafizur in the recent Auction and have strengthened their pace attack with overseas fast bowlers. Mustafizur has been a great performer for Bangladesh in all the formats and has played 24 IPL games taking 24 wickets at an economy of 7.51.

With Andrew Tye, Chris Morris and Jofra Archer in the squad for the Royals, Musafizur will find it tough to make it to the playing XI for the Royals this year despite his impressive records.