The 13th Season of the IPL is moving thick and fast as half the tournament is completed. Teams like MI, DC, and RCB are looking in a good position whereas KXIP, SRH, and CSK are in some trouble. We have seen some high-quality cricket over the last few weeks as the best players in the world come to play the biggest T20 league. Overseas players are playing a key role in the teams success.
The nature of the IPL is such that even if you are a top international player you might find yourself on the bench because of the team combination and the fact that only four overseas players are allowed. There are a few high-quality overseas players who haven’t played a single game up till now in this season. So, let’s have a look at five such overseas players.
5. Mitchell Santner – Chennai Super Kings
Mitchell Santner is one of the clever spinners in world cricket right now. He is not the biggest turner of the ball but he varies his pace and adjusts his line and length according to the batsman and the conditions. He is the premier spinners of New Zealand but at the moment he is not finding a place in the CSK XI. CSK already has a problem of plenty when it comes to overseas players. They have Indian spinners who are doing their job at the moment and it seems as if Santner might have to wait a bit longer than he expected. There is a high chance that he might have to warm the bench for the whole season.
4. Lockie Ferguson – Kolkata Knight Riders
Another Kiwi bowler who is finding it difficult to make it to the XI. Lockie Ferguson who bowls really quick was brilliant in the last year’s World Cup. He has a good yorker at the death and can hustle top batsmen with his pace.
But at the moment, KKR has given that job to Pat Cummins who is doing it well. Indian pacers – Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Prasidh Krishna too are bowling well. At the moment, it seems very difficult for the KKR management to find a place for Ferguson in the XI and he might have to warm the benches for some more time among the rest of the KKR’s Overseas Players.
3. Chris Lynn – Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians have hardly made any changes to their line-up in this season. They have used just 12 players so far which shows that it is really difficult for players sitting out to get a chance. There were talks of getting Chris Lynn when Quinton De Kock was struggling but he is back in form.
Chris Lynn didn’t have a great CPL which might have gone against him while selecting the initial XI. Mumbai Indians are in a great position and they might want to give some game time to the players sitting on the bench once they qualify. So, if MI qualifies early then Chris Lynn might be opening the batting in the blue jersey.
2. Chris Gayle – Kings XI Punjab
Chris Gayle – The Universe Boss who is by far the best T20 batsmen to have played the game hasn’t got a chance to feature in the XI for KXIP. KXIP’s opening combination has been the best in the competition and so they haven’t tried anything else up at the top.
Gayle is 41 years old and hasn’t played cricket for a long time so you don’t know what to expect from the big man. Having said that, Anil Kumble recently mentioned that he was going to be a part of the XI but unfortunately fell sick. So, if he is fit then we might see him in the next game against RCB at Sharjah.
1. Imran Tahir – Chennai Super Kings
Imran Tahir who won the purple cap last year in the IPL hasn’t played a single game this season. MS Dhoni, the skipper of CSK was asked about this before the SRH game and he said that they want him but somehow the combination is not letting them pick him.
Tahir has been such a great performer not only in the IPL but around the world that everybody wants to see him in action. It is very unfortunate that we can’t see him on the field at the moment. CSK doesn’t like to make many changes and now that they have won their last game, Tahir’s stay on the bench might be extended.
