3 players who were signed as replacements in IPL 2022 and became game-changers for their teams
69 matches of IPL 2022 are in the history books. After weeks of entertaining cricket matches, the tournament will conclude tonight in Ahmedabad with the final match happening between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Rajasthan Royals (RR).
One of the main reasons behind GT and RR's success is that both squads have luckily not faced any major injury issues. Most players who featured in the first playing XI of these two franchises will be in action later tonight as well.
However, the same was not the case with some of the other franchises.
Since IPL 2022 has gone on for quite some time, many players have picked up injuries. Some players recovered from it and returned to the team's playing XI, but there were also some names who got ruled out of the season due to injuries.
The teams had to change their plans and sign a replacement for the injured player.
IPL is one of the biggest tournaments in the world, and it is not easy for any unsold player to just come, join a team and deliver the goods.
However, the following three names defied the odds and emerged as game-changers for their teams after joining in late as replacement signings.
#1 Rajat Patidar, Royal Challengers Bangalore
Rajat Patidar made his IPL debut last year for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He performed decently for the franchise but surprisingly went unsold at the IPL 2022 mega auction.
RCB's uncapped player Luvnith Sisodia was ruled out of the season midway through the tournament, prompting the franchise to look for a replacement. Bangalore roped in Rajat Patidar and it proved to be an excellent decision.
Patidar smashed a century for the team and helped them defeat the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator. He also scored a fifty against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2.
Overall, he aggregated 333 runs in eight IPL 2022 matches at an average of 55.50 and a strike rate of 152.75.
#2 Kumar Kartikeya, Mumbai Indians
Uncapped spinner Kumar Kartikeya joined the Mumbai Indians (MI) as a replacement for Arshad Khan.
He made his debut for MI in a league game against the Rajasthan Royals. He bowled an economical spell of 1/19 and helped Mumbai snap their eight-match losing streak.
Kumar Kartikeya played a total of four games for MI, scalping five wickets at an economy rate of 7.85. The left-arm spinner is likely to be retained by Mumbai for IPL 2023.
#3 Matheesha Pathirana, Chennai Super Kings
Nicknamed 'Junior Malinga,' Matheesha Pathirana became the first uncapped Sri Lankan cricketer to play for an IPL franchise.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) signed him as a replacement for Adam Milne and handed him his maiden cap ahead of a league game against the Gujarat Titans.
Pathirana impressed straightaway, trapping Shubman Gill in front of his stumps on the first ball. He also dismissed GT skipper Hardik Pandya.
The Sri Lankan youngster played only two games for CSK in IPL 2022, but he has done enough to secure his place in the squad for the upcoming season.