5 legendary Test bowlers of this century who have never played in the IPL
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most prestigious franchise league in the world, and is arguably more important to the cricketing calendar than the ICC's flagship T20 tournament, the T20 World Cup.
In the 21st century, almost all legendary cricketers have managed to play at least a few games in the IPL, even if they aren't (or weren't) exactly suited to the T20 format.
Legendary Test bowlers of the 21st century in the IPL
The leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, Shane Warne, led the Rajasthan Royals to the title in the inaugural season of the IPL, while Anil Kumble, who is just behind Warne on the list, captained the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
However, these 5 modern-day legendary bowlers in Test cricket have never played in the IPL.
Note: Pakistan players have been excluded for obvious reasons.
#5 Vernon Philander
South African pacer Vernon Philander has gone unsold in the IPL auction 5 times, and only Martin Guptill has not found a buyer on more occasions (6).
The bowler is undoubtedly one of the best exponents of swing with the red ball, and has a dazzling Test record. In 64 Tests, Philander picked up 224 wickets at a superb average of 22.32, with 15 five-wicket hauls to his name.
However, the 35-year-old's lack of pace and variations meant that he was never on the agenda of any IPL team, and he retired from international cricket last year. Philander remains one of the greatest bowlers to have never played in the IPL, even across generations.
#4 Rangana Herath
Rangana Herath is arguably Sri Lanka's second-greatest spinner of all time, after the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan. But unlike Murali, who is the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket and played for 3 IPL teams, Herath never got the chance to appear in the tournament.
The left-arm spinner went unsold in the 2012 and 2013 auctions, and hasn't been in the auction pool since. In 93 Tests, Herath scalped 433 wickets with as many as 34 five-wicket hauls and 9 ten-wicket match hauls.
Again, he was probably never picked up due to his lack of variations and short white-ball international career. Herath played only 71 ODIs and 17 T20Is before retiring in November 2018.