IPL 2018: 5 Indian cricketers who will be missed this year
The IPL has provided opportunities to several Indian cricketers over the years and it has served as a door to the Indian national team. Many players got their national call-ups based on their IPL performances.
Several budding youngsters got the much-needed exposure of playing alongside, against the star overseas players and sharing the dressing room with the legends of the game. From unearthing the rare talents to proper nurturing of those talents, the IPL has contributed much to the Indian cricket.
Some Indian cricketers have been part of the league since its inception, while some had a very short IPL career. Let us now see those Indian players who have played the IPL in the past seasons but won't be playing in the eleventh edition of the tournament this summer.
#1 Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma was one of the hottest properties of the IPL during the inaugural edition in 2008. A decade later, his fortunes changed, and he found no buyers at the auctions. Ishant has played nine seasons in the IPL so far and has represented five different franchises- the Kolkata Knight Riders, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rising Pune Supergiant and Kings XI Punjab.
The Delhiite has played 76 IPL matches in which he has 59 wickets at an economy of 8.17, with his best figures being 5/12. In the first few editions, he was at his best. But his form dwindled as the seasons progressed.
Nevertheless, the franchises showed interest in Ishant as they relied on his experience. The tall pacer who has never won the IPL title in his career, went unsold in this year’s auctions with a base price of INR 75 lakh.