3 times an IPL team fielded just two overseas players in the playing 11 ft. MI in 2024
Indian Premier League's (IPL) biggest appeal has been the blend of local and international players. Franchises often go hard on overseas talents in the auction, given the limited room they have in the squad for them.
According to the rules, teams are allowed to field four overseas players in their lineup. With the impact player rule, there was some doubt whether a fifth overseas player could replace the fourth player, but it was squashed as an overseas impact player could only be brought onto the field if there were three overseas players in the playing XI.
On majority of the occasions, teams field four overseas players in their lineup, which is the maximum allowance. On some rare occasions, teams do name only three overseas players, either due to team combination or the fact they want to bring in an overseas impact player later on.
A few rare instances have also witnessed teams naming only two overseas players in their playing XI. With as many as eight international players in the squad and the provision of playing as many as four in the lineup, it makes little sense for the teams to go for such an approach consistently. A strong Indian core can often make up for the lack of international talent, but it is still quite a risky approach.
On that note, let us take a look at three times an IPL team fielded just two overseas players in the playing XI.
#1 MI vs SRH (IPL 2024; Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai)
The Mumbai Indians (MI) were in dire need of a victory after four straight losses and made some radical changes in response. The five-time champions set out with only two overseas players - Tim David and Nuwan Thushara in the playing XI. The likes of Gerald Coetzee, Romario Shepherd, and Mohammed Nabi were all dropped for tactical reasons since MI skipper Hardik Pandya did not mention any injury concerns.
MI did have the option of bringing in the third overseas player as an impact sub in the second innings. Dewals Brevis and Romario Shepherd were among the options on the bench, but MI did not require their services as they completed the run chase comfortably and won the match by seven wickets.
Overseas players did not have a telling contribution in the clash for MI, with the Indian players being more than enough for the visiting SRH side. Nuwan Thushara finished with figures of 0-42 and also dropped Travis Head on one occasion. Tim David only had to play his part as a fielder as SRH failed to get to MI's lower middle order.
#2 MI vs RCB (IPL 2022; MCA Stadium, Pune)
Kieron Pollard and Dewald Brevis were the only overseas players in the MI playing XI when they took on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Pune during the 2022 season. MI had options like Fabian Allen, Riley Meredith, Tim David, Tymal Mills, and Daniel Sams on the bench, but still opted to go with nine Indian players.
After being put into bat, MI struggled with the bat, and both their overseas players failed to make an impression. Dewald Brevis, batting at No.3, scored only eight runs off 11 deliveries while Kieron Pollard recorded a golden duck. Barring a brilliant fifty by Suryakumar Yadav, MI did not have much to show for in the first innings and settled for 151-6.
On a memorable note, Dewald Brevis managed to dismiss Virat Kohli in the closing stages of the match. However, it was just one of the several defeats MI had to face en route to their 10th placed finish in the points table.
#3 CSK vs KKR (IPL 2011; MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai)
In the 2011 IPL season opener, the Gautam Gambhir-led KKR side named only two overseas players - Jacques Kallis and Eoin Morgan, in the playing XI. It is to be noted that KKR had other overseas options like Ryan Ten Doeschate, Brett Lee, and James Pattinson in the squad.
Kallis was the sole overseas name in the bowling unit, chipping in with three overs and picking up two wickets for 34 runs. The legendary all-rounder, along with the rest of the bowling unit restricted CSK to 153-4 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
The South African all-rounder also made a significant contribution with the bat, scoring 54 runs off 42 deliveries, including seven fours. Eoin Morgan, however, scored only six runs from as many deliveries as KKR lost the thrilling encounter by two runs.
There is one more instance where a team only included two overseas players, it came during the 2022 IPL encounter between DC and MI, where the former only named Tim Seifert and Rovman Powell in the playing XI.