IPL 2019: 1 overseas player from each team who might not play a single game
Overseas players form a key part of all franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Over the years, they have formed a key part of the franchises, and it is hard to imagine how IPL could have been without them. It was Brendon McCullum who kick started the IPL with a magnificent 158 in the first game and who can forget the 175 runs Chris Gayle scored in a game against Pune Warriors.
Each franchise can have a maximum of 8 overseas players in their squad and 4 in the starting XI. Generally, a couple of the overseas players, who are benched, are inexperienced and young and as a result, remain benched throughout the tournament. Overseas players like Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Delport and Adam Milne warmed the benches throughout the season.
This season as well, there are quite a few overseas players who might not feature in a single game due to various reasons such as, inexperience or maybe because of the availability of better options.
In this article, we shall have a look at an overseas player from each team who might not play a single game.
Note: Rajasthan Royals will lose 4 of their first choice overseas players because of World Cup commitments. Hence, they will be forced to use the other 4 and as such, everyone will play some games. Hence, RR has been excluded.
#1 Chennai Super Kings - David Willey
The England all-rounder is one of the most complete cricketers in the T20 format. He has the ability to open with both bat and ball. He can also don the role of a finisher while batting and is good with ball in the middle overs. He is also a great fielder so, it is confusing as to why he might miss a few games.
Last season, he played just 3 games, out of which 2 games turned out to be total disasters. 3 of CSK's 4 overseas players are almost fixed -- Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo and Lungi Ngidi. There will be rotation for the 4th overseas slot, but it will be very difficult for Willey to manage a game. Everything that Willey offers to a team is already offered to the team by the aforementioned 3.
Furthermore, he will leave the team half-way through, making it even more difficult for the highly talented player.