4 famous players who have never played in the IPL
In its 12-year history, the IPL has attracted stars from around the globe. Players look up to the IPL not just for the lucrative contracts but also as a platform to earn national call-ups. However, some prominent players have never graced the world's richest cricket league in all these years.
Let us now look at five famous players who have never played in the IPL.
1. Joe Root
Joe Root and IPL have never been able to come together. In the years that he has enrolled in the cash-rich tournament, he was not picked, there have been years when the English and Wales Cricket Board has forced him to sit out of the tournament to manage his workload and then there have been years where he opted out himself.
Critics suggest that despite being a useful player on and off in the shortest format of the game, Root's lack of power hitting ability works against him.
Root plays for Yorkshire in the domestic circuit but despite some stellar showing, has never featured in the Indian Premier League. In 25 T20I matches, Root has scored 743 runs at a strike-rate of 128.77, with his highest score being 90.
2. Denesh Ramdin
The Trinidadian was a part of the West Indies squad that won the ICC World T20 in 2012 and 2016 under Darren Sammy. The wicket-keeper batsman, despite his immense contributions for the Calypso both with the bat as well as gloves, has never played in the IPL.
However, Ramdin represented the Caribbean Premier League teams Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders, with whom he won the title in 2017.
In 58 T20I matches, Ramdin has scored 421 runs at a strike-rate of 115.66 with a highest score of 55. It is undoubtedly a surprise that a player like Ramdin has never played in the IPL given the fact that so many Caribbean players have represented IPL franchises over the years.
3. Stuart Broad
The Kings XI Punjab bought the man who was at the receiving end of Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes during the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup for the 2011 and 2012 IPL seasons. Broad withdrew from the tournament citing a 'calf strain' and was never seen again on the auction table. A regular for the English Test squad and known for his red ball prowess, Broad played 56 T20I matches grabbing 65 wickets.
Then King's XI Punjab captain Adam Gilchrist had termed Broad's absence as a big loss after he had pulled out from the tournament.
4. Vernon Philander
Back in 2011-12, when Vernon Philander broke into the scene with a majestic 5-15 against Australia, it was reported that close to four IPL franchises were in the running for the international newcomer. Priced then at $200,000 (base price), Philander signed for Somerset with a clause that if he were to be picked in the IPL, he would be skipping the county season.
As fate would have it, Philander was never picked up, and he went to sharpen his red-ball skills in England instead. Philander, who has taken four wickets in seven T20I matches for the Proteas, is one of the leading bowlers for South Africa in the longest format of the game.