IPL 2018: The Bench-warmers XI
The Indian Premier League is one of the best T20 leagues in the world and everyone wants a piece of the action. At the auction table, franchises look to get all bases covered by investing in different types of players for different situations. A lot of international big names end up warming the bench for their teams in the IPL every year. This is because the team management is in pursuit of a balanced line up and obviously everyone can't play every game. Some players are picked at the auctions just as backups and they sit on the sidelines waiting for their turn to prove themselves on the field for their franchise.
Here's a well-balanced line up of the bench-warmers who have played no more than one game in IPL 2018:
Openers:
#1 Manjot Kalra
Manjot Kalra is a left-handed opening batsman who was picked by the Delhi Daredevils at his base price of 20 lakhs. Who can forget his unbeaten century in the final of the U19 World Cup earlier this year that took India to victory against Australia? Unfortunately, Manjot did not play a single game for the Delhi franchise this season. This young batsman from Delhi bats with the typical grace of a left-handed batsman and is a fine prospect for Indian Cricket.
#2 Murali Vijay
Murali Vijay was bought by the Chennai Super Kings for 2 Crores in the player auction this year. He has enjoyed huge success with CSK in the past and was happy to be back with his home franchise. He played only one game for CSK in IPL 2018 as Ambati Rayudu found form early in the tournament. Vijay is an experienced campaigner in the IPL having played over a hundred matches in the tournament and is a valuable asset to any team.