10 players IPL franchises shouldn't have released over the years
Since its inception, the IPL has produced players who have gone on to become household names. They have become synonymous with their franchise, but many fans may not know that their IPL journey started with a different team. They were released by one franchise due to poor performance only to end up performing well for another team in the following season. We have seen this happen numerous times with several players over the years.
Here is a look at those ten players that IPL franchises shouldn’t have released.
#10 Dwayne Bravo
Everyone knows Dwayne Bravo for his slick dance moves in the IPL. He became one of CSK’s most beloved players over the years so much so that it is now hard to imagine a time when he wasn’t part of this franchise.
Bravo was, in fact, a part of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League, but he wasn’t part of the Chennai Super Kings team. In fact, he started his career wearing a particular blue jersey and playing for CSK’s rivals - Mumbai Indians.
He played for Mukesh Ambani’s team for three years from 2008-2010. The first two seasons were pretty decent for the West Indian all-rounder as he was contributing with bat and ball. However, in 2010 his form hit a slump, and he wasn’t able to contribute as well as he would’ve liked.
Following the 2010 season, all teams were asked to retain just four players. Mumbai retained their core, and Bravo got lost in the shuffle. He went unsold in the 2011 auctions only to resurface again in 2012.
Fortunately, this time the Chennai Super Kings purchased him. He rose like a phoenix under Dhoni’s captaincy. His shining moment came when he was asked to be CSK’s death over specialist. It was then that he started performing even better with the ball. He became the first bowler to win the purple cap on two occasions (2013 and 2015). He also holds the record for most wickets in a single IPL season (32).
The entire Mumbai Indians’ staff are probably wondering how did they allow a gem of a player like Bravo to slip through their fingers.
#9 KL Rahul
KL Rahul debuted in the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. In his maiden season, he only played five games and scored a measly 20 runs. It was no surprise that he wasn’t retained for the following season.
He spent 2014 and 2015 as part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad dugout. He was mostly used as a middle-order batsman. His performances for the franchise weren’t captivating enough to warrant another contract.
He returned to play for his former team in the following season. This also happened to be his breakout year in the IPL. He was selected as a last-minute replacement in the playing XI for their primary wicket-keeper, Kedar Jadhav. He scored a swashbuckling half-century during the match and secured his place. He went on to score four more half-centuries in the tournament and became a crucial part of the team. In an unfortunate turn of events, Lokesh Rahul was injured before the start of the 2017 tournament and couldn’t participate.
Surprisingly, RCB chose to retain young Sarfaraz over Rahul for the 2018 season. This meant that Rahul had to find himself a new franchise. Luckily, his previous form landed him a contract with Kings XI Punjab. He was their lone warrior at the top of the order and saved the team on multiple occasions. He scored a total of 659 runs in 14 matches at an average of 54.91. KXIP recognized his value and have retained him for one more season.
RCB must be regretting their decision to pick Sarfaraz Khan over KL Rahul.
#8 Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir started his IPL career as part of the Delhi Daredevils team from 2008 to 2010. While with the franchise, he was remarkably consistent with the bat so much so that he was asked to lead the franchise in 2010.
Shockingly, DD still released him from his contract. Delhi has been prone to making rash decisions before and during the IPL auctions, but this was a bit too much, and they paid a heavy price for it.
Gambhir, on the other hand, went on to captain KKR for seven seasons, leading them to the coveted trophy twice. His form with the bat also improved significantly.
It was clear that DD messed up big time, and they requested him (Gambhir) to return to and lead the team in 2018, but Gambhir was now a shadow of his former self. He relinquished his captaincy midway through the tournament and announced his retirement from all forms the cricket.
#7 Andrew Tye
Andrew Tye made a memorable debut in the IPL for Gujarat Lions with a five-wicket haul, but before his fantastic debut, he was part of the Chennai Super Kings. Yes, that’s right. The Australian pacer was part of the CSK team for one season in 2015 but didn't play a single game that season.
He was released after that and picked up by the Gujarat Lions only to be benched for his first season with them. However, as luck would have it, Tye got a chance to play and picked up five wickets sealing his place in the playing XI.
With the disbandment of the Gujarat Lions, Tye found himself as part of the auction pool once again. But his past performances didn’t go unnoticed as he earned himself a contract for KXIP. He went on to become their most prolific bowler during the 2018 season and even won the purple cap.
CSK are probably wondering what could’ve been if Tye was still part of their bowling lineup.
#6 Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum made his debut in the inaugural match of the IPL against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He scored a massive unbeaten 158 to help his team (KKR) to a victory. However, it all went downhill since then. He played with KKR for two more seasons. The Kiwi's performances at the club were ordinary, and it almost seemed like he had no role to play.
He was released in 2011 and went on to play of Kochi Tuskers Kerala. It turned out to be one of his best seasons. When Kochi Tuskers Kerala went defunct, he found himself back in the auction pool. Again, he was picked up by KKR. He spent another two more seasons with KKR before moving on to play for the Chennai Super Kings.
It was then where his true potential was unleashed. He spent two years at CSK until they were banned from the IPL. KKR probably spent those two years questioning their premature decision to release him (McCullum) despite not having a reliable opening pair.