IPL: 3 players who made their debut in a playoff game
Franchises usually do not tinker with their lineup so late in the season, but, injuries and poor form have forced them to make changes in the playoff games.
Some teams have deliberately used this ploy to catch the opponents off guard by introducing new players in the important knockout games.
These risks can go either way and teams are willing to take it in desperate times. One such rare instances happened in an IPL 2018 playoff game.
On that note, let’s take a look at the three players in IPL history who made their debut in a playoff game
#1 Khaleel Ahmed
Khaleel Ahmed becomes only the third player in the history of Indian Premier League to make his debut in a playoff game. The left-arm pacer from Rajasthan was bought for a huge sum of Rs. 3 crores in the 2018 auction by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Though he did not play any part in the league stages of the competition, he was called into action by Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday when they played Kolkata Knight Riders in the second qualifier.
The 20-year-old is one of the fastest bowlers in the Indian domestic circuit right now and has done exceedingly well for Rajasthan in the 2017/18 season. He finished as the second highest wicket-taker in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy.