The toughest part of being a professional cricket is watching from the sidelines while others are fighting it out in the middle. Troughs and peaks are part of any cricketer’s career and even the most famous ones have been ignored in the past. In the IPL, it is very hard to sustain at the top for a long period of time due to the format’s ever-changing nature. In this article, we will look at five famous people who might have to sit out for the entirety of IPL 2021.
#5 Robin Uthappa
One of the greatest top order players in IPL history, Uthappa has found the going to be tough in recent seasons. After a horrendous knock against MI in 2019, many predicted that Uthappa’s IPL career would be over. However, RR picked him and he did repay the faith by playing some decent knocks at the fag end of last season.
This season, CSK surprised many by acquiring Uthappa in a trade deal. CSK is already top-heavy with Faf du Plessis, Gaikwad, Raina, Jagadeesan, Rayudu all vying for a top-three spot. Unless one of the above-mentioned players get injured, Uthappa will not be in the reckoning for a spot in CSK playing eleven in the IPL 2021.
#4 Piyush Chawla
It is remarkable that Amit Mishra is the only Indian with more wickets than Chawla in IPL. Chawla has been ever-present in IPL but he is only 32 and has 4-5 years of cricket left in him. He had a forgettable campaign last season for CSK and was picked up by MI in this IPL auction.
MI picked Chawla to add some experience to a spin attack that is relatively weak. However, Mumbai has a very settled lineup and it is difficult to see any player sitting out to accommodate Chawla. Even if MI does want one more spinner, they could go with Jayant Yadav, who proved his worth in the last IPL final.
#3 Jason Roy
Delhi Capitals raised a few eyebrows when they named Roy as a replacement for the injured Shreyas Iyer. Delhi already has a solid overseas core of Stoinis, Hetmyer, Rabada and Nortje. If Roy does end up playing, it will significantly weaken Delhi’s hitting power or death bowling.
Roy was one of England’s bright spots in their 3-2 defeat against India in the T-20 series. He was visibly more confident when facing the spinners, an aspect of his batting that still requires improvement. Also, DC has two in-form openers, Dhawan and Shaw. Thus, Roy will find it difficult to break that pairing.
#2 David Miller
At his peak, Miller was a famous middle-order hitter and his century against RCB is regarded as one of the finest knocks in IPL. However, he has remained largely consistent since the 2014 season where he formed a deadly duo with Maxwell.
RR picked him before IPL 2020 but he did not get to play a single game. RR have four outstanding overseas players in their lineup namely Stokes, Buttler, Morris and Jofra Archer. Even in case of an injury, Miller will have to fight for a place with Liam Livingstone.
#1 Dwayne Bravo
In the IPL 2021, it is not unfathomable that CSK’s greatest and most famous bowling asset will sit out the entire season. The reason is the emergence of Sam Curran who is coming off arguably the best innings of his career. Bravo has steadily regressed in recent seasons, and his economy rate has been questioned a lot.
He still picks up wickets but CSK have Tahir, Thakur and Ngidi to precisely do that job. In case of an injury to Curran, they have a spin-bowling all-rounder in the form of Moeen Ali who is more reliable with the bat than Bravo.
