IPL 2020: 5 Indian Cricketers Who Might Be Benched Throughout The Season
Published - 12 Sep 2020, 01:19 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:34 AM
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A host of Indian and overseas cricketers will partake in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League edition of 2020 in the UAE. The IPL is a massive platform for all the cricketers, whether domestic or foreign, to make their case for national selection. The Indian cricketers, in particular, have immense opportunities as seven out of eleven in any game are the domestic ones.
However, there are a handful of Indian cricketers, who might sadly warm the bench the entire season. It might be due to their performances in the past seasons or better candidates at the disposal of a particular franchise. As such, with the competition that exists in IPL for spots, the chances of cricketers with not enough credentials in T20s might further get diminished.
We take a look at five Indian cricketers who might warm the bench the entire season of IPL 2020:
Saurabh Tiwary:
Saurabh Tiwary began his career with Mumbai Indians, playing only seven matches in 2008 and 2009 and making 23 runs. Saurabh Tiwary went on to feature in all 16 fixtures the following season, making 419 runs alongside three half-centuries as Mumbai Indians reached the final.
The southpaw went on to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rising Pune Supergiants, and Delhi Capitals too without eye-catching returns. Since 2017, he has been part of Mumbai Indians and it was the last Tiwary played in IPL. With little recent experience in the cash-rich league and plenty of credible options for Mumbai, the middle-order batsman is unlikely to get a game.
Rahul Tripathi:
Rahul Tripathi’s breakthrough season was his first edition itself, which was in 2017 while playing for Rising Pune Supergiants. Tripathi played the most of season as an opener, ending the season with 391 runs in 14 games, maintaining a strike rate of 146.44. However, he went on to play only 20 more in the next two years with Rajasthan Royals.
Tripathi will ply his trade for the Kolkata Knight Riders. However, the 29-year old is at risk of getting no game with them. Shubman Gill’s rise at the top of the order has left little room for anyone else, who would likely bat alongside Sunil Narine or Tom Banton. In the middle-order, KKR have the likes of Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, and Andre Russell, all of whom are irreplaceable.
Karn Sharma:
Leg-spinner Karn Sharma has played for as many as three franchises before landing with the Chennai Super Kings in 2018. In 63 matches so far, Karn Sharma has taken 54 scalps at 26.76 with a couple of four-wicket hauls.
The veteran leg-spinner might fail to get even a single game for the three-time champions in 2020 despite the favourable conditions in UAE. CSK already have quality spinners like Imran Tahir, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, and Mitchell Santer. They also have a youngster in R Sai Kishore, who fared well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Gurkeerat Singh:
Middle-order batsman, Gurkeerat Singh from Royal Challengers Bangalore, has had a stop-start run in his IPL career. Gurkeerat Singh began his IPL stint with Kings XI Punjab in 2012, playing five matches for the side that year and scoring 86 at a strike rate of 165.
In the previous season, the 30-year old managed to feature in only three games with a credible strike rate of 140. With the franchise undergoing an overhaul, the side would better try out some new candidates in the like Pavan Deshpande and Shivam Dube as finishers. Hence, it feels unlikely for him to get a game.
Wriddhiman Saha:
Wriddhiman Saha has played in every IPL edition, beginning his career with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Wriddhiman Saha’s best season was perhaps the 2014 edition with the Kings XI Punjab, managing 362 runs in 17 matches with a strike rate of 145.38. Saha also scored a century in the final, albeit in a losing cause.
The veteran keeper-batsman has been with the Sunrisers Hyderabad since 2018 and has not fared well. Saha played only five games in the last season, scoring 86 runs at 17.20 only. With Jonny Bairstow taking the gloves, it is unlikely that Saha will get an opportunity. With the bat, the Orange Army have got young guns like Priyam Garg, Virat Singh, and Manish Pandey in their repertoire for middle-order.
Also Read: IPL 2020: List Of Cricketers Who Pulled Out And Their Replacements
