IPL 2018: 4 players who are being badly missed by their teams
As IPL 2018 enters into its business end, all the teams- some in attempt to make it to the playoffs, while others to end their campaigns on a high- gear up for the final push. And as days go by, each of them is trying hard to address the part of their side that makes them vulnerable to the opposition. Almost all the teams, except SRH perhaps, seem to lag behind in one department or the other. While a couple of teams (Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals) suffer because of poor team combinations they acquired at the auction, others have been unlucky to see their key players miss the action due to ill-timed injuries.
Had these injuries not happened to these players the story of IPL 2018 would perhaps have unfolded in altogether a different way. Here’s a look at five such players who were kept out of the action by an injury, and are now being badly missed by their franchises.
Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins was the buy of the season for Mumbai Indians. Tall and strong, the talented Australian pacer can swing the ball both ways at speeds upwards of 140 kmph. He was acquired by MI think-tank at a whopping Rs 5.40 crore. But, even before MI played its first match he had to drop out of the league due to a back injury- something that has been his Achilles' heel in the past.
MI did rope in Adam Milne as a replacement for Cummins only to have him featured in none of their playing XI. Instead, they now have Mitchell McClenaghan doing what Cummins was supposed to do for MI- picking wickets early on. But what MI lacks is an outright fast bowler who can give company to Bumrah in containing the batters at the end. Inability to contain runs at both ends has already cost them close games against CSK and DD. It seems only Cummins could have fitted in the demands of a team whose playoff chances now are hung in jeopardy.