IPL 2022: Current stars who have never played for their hometown's teams

Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli have never played for their respective hometown-based teams

An all-embracing once-in-a-year global event, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is about to enter its 15th edition in the coming weeks. The new season is set to begin on March 26 with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) locking horns at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai for the opening clash.

The IPL is akin to a festival in India, and it has grown in popularity since its start in 2008. The league has seen as many as 15 franchises, including the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, Pune Warriors, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Gujarat Lions, and Rising Pune Supergiant.

In total, 12 cities have been represented in the league, and a large percentage of players have got the opportunity to represent their native towns. Players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, and Virender Sehwag played for teams based in their hometowns.

Among current players, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Suryakumar Yadav have also played for IPL teams representing their respective cities.

But there are some players who are yet to play for the team that bears the name of their home state or town. Here are 5 big IPL stars who belong to that category.

#5 Prithvi Shaw - Never played for Mumbai Indians in IPL

Despite being from Mumbai, Prithvi Shaw has been away from Mumbai Indians team

Considered as one of the most talented young Indian batters, Prithvi Shaw has only played for a single franchise - Delhi Capitals. The aggressive opener has a touch of class and elegance in his strokeplay and bats with attacking intent, especially during the powerplay.

The right-hander was long touted to be India's next big thing in cricket. Due to this, the Capitals bought him for just ₹1.2 crore in 2018. Initially, he didn't get the opportunity to start for his team. However, a dip in Gautam Gambhir's form opened the gate for the 2018 U19 World Cup winner.

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Since then, the Mumbai-born batter has featured in 58 IPL games for the Delhi Capitals, scoring 1,305 runs at a strike rate of 146.30. He flourished in his role of giving his team explosive starts. Thanks to this, DC retained him for ₹7.50 crore ahead of the upcoming season.

At 22 years of age, Shaw is still in the early days of his career and there's a high possibility that he could feature for Mumbai Indians in the future.

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#4 Deepak Chahar - Never played for Rajasthan Royals

Deepak Chahar has made a name for himself through his performances in the league

Born in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Deepak Chahar plied his trade in domestic cricket for Rajasthan. In his Ranji debut, he took eight wickets and bowled out Hyderabad for just 21 runs - the lowest total in Ranji Trophy history.

His control of the new ball and ability to generate swing made Royal Pune Supergiant buy him for the 2016 and 2017 season. He didn't get enough opportunities, though, and ended up playing just five matches for the now-defunct team.

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At the 2018 auction, CSK snapped up the pacer for ₹70 lakh. He prospered with the Yellow army and was pivotal in the side's triumphs in 2018 and 2021. So far, Chahar has played 63 games in the tournament, claiming 59 wickets at an economy rate of 7.80.

The Rajasthan-based seamer was part of Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) squad in 2011 and 2012, but did not earn any game time.

Chahar was the second-most expensive buy at the recent IPL mega auction when CSK brought him back at a cost of ₹14 crore. With a quadriceps tear, the 29-year-old will not be available for the first few weeks of this season.