As we get closer to the 13th edition of the IPL 2020, most fans and experts are excited to see their favourites on the field. The vast majority of rookie cricket players look to this tournament as an “in” when it comes to the Indian cricket scene. Unfortunately, not all of these rookie players will see a game due to the rules that are in place for the IPL. Below are some of the players that might not get to showcase their skills during this tournament.
Foreign Players
For those avid cricket watchers who like to watch the live IPL cricket score to see what foreign players bring to the table, there could be some disappointment in store. As per the IPL rules, there is only room for four foreign players in a playing eleven. For the majority of cricket teams that have great foreign players, these four foreigner spots are quickly filled by players who are already well-known, have played in the IPL before, or have been part of the team for a longer time. This puts rookie foreigners in a disadvantageous spot, making it unlikely that many of them will get field-time. Players like Fabian Allen from the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who shows great promise, are likely to spend the majority of the tournament in the changing rooms despite the potential which is a shame.
The Truth About Inexperienced Players
Inexperienced players make up a percentage of those who are unlikely to get any playing time. The IPL is renowned for showcasing the talent and skill of the cream of the crop, unfortunately most of the players that feature in the tournament are those who have already established themselves as great. Like most leagues in the world, teams do acquire new players from time to time but the stakes are high enough that these newly acquired players do not get much playing time. One such inexperienced player is Tushar Deshpande from the Mumbai Indians. Deshpande, a 25-year old bowler, shows great promise and made headlines when he turned down an IPL trial invitation in 2018 to play in one of his club games instead. Although Tushar shows promise, the Mumbai Indians already have talented players such as Ishant Sharma, Mohit Sharma, and Harshal Patel who featuring in the line-up. At best, players like Deshpande can use the help of highly sought after coaches to improve their game and increase their chances for the next IPL.
Talent Saturation
The other factor that leads to players not getting any field-time has to do with the talent or skills that are already on the team. A cricket team, just like any other sporting team, has a quota of a specific skill set that is required for the team to perform optimally. Putting too much of one skill and less of another could be a recipe for disaster, and this is a risk that teams do not want to take when the stakes are so high. There is a wealth of cricket talent in India today, which is what leads to players like Sai Kishore not getting a chance to showcase his skill. The slow left-arm bowler has been identified as an unlikely choice for the line-up with likes of Imran Tahir and Mitchell Santner already in the limelight.
Our Thoughts
Players might be excluded from the line-up for a variety of reasons but that does not mean that they lack the talent or promise. At best, these players will make the most of the coaching and training with some of the best in the game right now and have better luck for the next IPL and future tournaments.
