IPL: Players who played a stellar role after coming in as the replacements
In life, someone's pain is someone else's gain. The only thing that matters is how well people grab the presented opportunity to prove their excellence. Over the years, several players have withdrawn from the Indian Premier League due to two main reasons- suspensions and injuries.
The unavailability of the key players even for a shorter duration of the tournament has been a major headache for the franchises as they find themselves in a position to find out the perfect replacements to balance as well as strengthen their squads. The teams have to change their strategies once again, keeping in mind the new signings.
Some replacements were signed in the middle of the season, whereas some well before the start of the season. Though many have failed to perform well after coming in as the replacements, some have really changed their team's fortunes through their exceptional performances.
Let us now look at the players who made the difference in their side's dream run in the IPL:
#1) Chris Gayle
The Royal Challengers Bangalore signed the ‘Universe boss’ as a replacement to the injured Dirk Nannes for INR 2.9 crore during the 2011 IPL. In his first season with the Bangalore franchise, Gayle scored an astonishing 608 runs in just 11 matches at a strike-rate of 183.13, with three half-centuries and two centuries.
Thereby, he ended up as the leading run-scorer of season four and was awarded the Orange cap for his brilliance with the bat throughout the tournament. Unfortunately, he could not continue his good run in the playoffs as the RCB finished as the runners-up for a second time in the IPL after losing to the Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk in the final.
Nevertheless, it was a brilliant season for the Jamaican who was brutal with the bat, guiding his side to the finals. Gayle stayed at Bangalore for seven seasons and was released by the franchise prior to the 2018 Auctions, where he was bought for INR 2 crore by the Kings XI Punjab for the 2018 IPL.