4 times a player replacement was a blessing in disguise for an IPL team

The international calendar, in its present state, puts to test the fitness of players in the truest sense. With the increasing frequency of T20s, an average body hardly gets time to rest adequately, leading to niggles becoming long-term injuries.

The IPL, over the course of its 10 years, has seen a fair share of high-profile injured absentees, but has also seen instances when replacements have come in and made more than just an impact.

Here are four such instances:

#4 Hashim Amla for Shaun Marsh - 2016

Shaun Marsh was one of Kings XI's most trusted players, having been with them right from the first season and till date, he is their leading run scorer. However, he suffered a back injury prior to the 2016 edition of the IPL, which ruled him out of the tournament.

South African batsman Hashim Amla was brought in to replace the Aussie star. Amla, who is not known for his T20 skills, lit up the tournament in 2016 and 2017 with some spectacular performances.

Amla played just six matches in 2016, scoring 157 runs at an average of just above 25. He was given a longer run in 2017 as he played 10 matches and scored 400 runs at an average of 60 with two centuries to his name.

Unfortunately, he went unsold in the 2018 auction. However, he might be called up by one of the teams given the number of players pulling out due to injuries and other reasons.

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