The superstars who missed the IPL (Australia)

1) Sir Don Bradman

Do you need any introduction for this man? Bradman has set a benchmark for every batsman with his staggering consistency. An average of 99.94 in Test matches in a career that spanned across 19 seasons is phenomenal. One can only imagine the amount of money Bradman would have been paid if something like the franchise-based auctions would have existed during his era.

Role in the IPL:

1) Bat at number three and set the pace of the innings. Bradman’s great strength was to see the ball early and let his attacking instincts take over. The cut, the pull,the hook and the drives were Bradman’s bread and butter shots. The fast outfields of India would have helped the Aussie legend.
2) Bradman was a shrewd tactician and an attacking captain. So the franchise heads would have surely wanted Bradman’s services as a leader of the squad.

Ideal team:

Mumbai Indians has the history of picking star players. Just imagine the roar if Tendulkar and Bradman would have batted together at the Wankhede Stadium. I am sure the decibel levels of the crowd would reach an all-time high. Bradman’s role in the side would just be to bat the twenty overs.

2) Richie Benaud

Benaud was a leg-spinner with a fast trajectory. His style of bowling got him heaps of wickets in India. He was a useful lower middle-order batsman and a fine fielder. Benaud was one of the finest captains of his era. He had great communication skills and knew how to extract maximum out of his players.

Role in the IPL:

1) Bowl after the powerplay overs. Make use of the variations and maintain pressure from one end by bowling tight.
2) To consolidate the innings if the wickets fall quickly else bat in the lower middle-order and hit a few lusty blows in the end overs.

Ideal team:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: A classic spinner captaining the side- that is not a new thing for RCB, who concede far too many runs in the middle and end overs. Benaud’s inclusion would help them with this bowling puzzle and also give them an extra batting option in the lower order. Not to forget his role as a mature skipper as well.

3) Alan Davidson

Davidson was one of the most lethal new ball bowlers in the 1960s. The left-arm paceman had a good run-up and worked up good pace. He was the premier strike bowler of Australia and relied on the swing in the air with the new ball.

Davidson was a handy lower-order batsman. He looked to attack the bowlers right from the start of his innings.

Role in the IPL:

1) To look for wickets with the new ball. To bowl a couple of overs in the later part of the innings.
2) Contribute as a pinch hitter at times. Basically to follow a ‘Hit out or get out’ approach.

Ideal team:

Rajasthan Royals: Royals have always believed in the concept of an all-rounder setting up a game for them. When they won their only title, it was courtesy of a couple of all-rounders who played out of their skins on more than one occasion. So Davidson’s inclusion would augment their chances of a title triumph.

4) Jeff Thomson

Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson

Thomson was one of the fastest bowlers of his era. He had an unusual round-arm slinging action. His forte was the bouncer. He also swung the ball considerably and often induced false strokes from the established Test batsmen.

Role in the IPL:

1) Push the batsmen on the back foot. Use the short ball as an attacking option and slide a yorker in between to keep the batsmen on his toes.
2) To create wicket-taking opportunities for his team. Ideally, the captain would want to use Thomson in short spells in order to stem the batting team’s momentum.

Ideal team:

Kings XI Punjab: Mohali and Dharamsala are two of India’s fastest tracks. There is a lot of lateral movement and the bowler reaps rewards for bending his back.

5) Dennis Lillee

Lillee was the kind of bowler who kept coming at the batsman. He had this uncanny knack of picking up a wicket when it was least expected. His incessant line and length around the off-stump made him a difficult bowler to negotiate even when the batsman was well-set. Lillee also used to get under the skin of the batsman. He was a lively character on the cricket field.

Role in the IPL:

Attack the batsmen with the new ball. To give some chin-music to the batsman and set attacking fields.

Ideal team:

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Team Hyderabad has had problems setting up big totals. Their bowling lacks firepower throughout the 20 overs. There are glimpses of brilliance, but far too often even that (brilliance) is insufficient to record a victory. Lillee’s inclusion in Sunrisers would give the bowling unit a massive fillip and give them the confidence to defend even the below-par scores.

6) Dean Jones

Jones was a street-smart cricketer. His batting had the flair and flamboyance. He was the master of rotating the strike. The main feature of his batting was his feet movement, mainly against the spinners. Jones was also one of the cleanest strikers of the ball.

Role in the IPL:

1) To bat at number three and provide stability to the innings. Jones’ had the ability to keep the scoreboard moving. His role would be to control the innings.
2) To use the long handle in the later part of the innings.

Ideal team:

Pune Warriors India has always struggled to field four regular foreigners. Jones’ inclusion might just give the batting a direction which in many previous editions became far too much experimental. That has been Pune’s pet-peeve which has not helped the team to reach the knock-out stages of the competition.

7) Steve Waugh

Steve Waugh was a gutsy fighter who never gave up while batting or bowling. Waugh was a useful middle-order batsman whose presence in the middle was comforting to the dressing room. Waugh was a terrific death bowler during his early days. He captained one of the best sides of the world.

Role in the IPL:

1) To bat in the middle order and set up a good score for the side. To bat higher in the order if the wicket is tough to bat on.
2) To captain the side.
3) To bowl a few overs if need be.

Ideal team:

Delhi Daredevils have had ferocious hitters and decent bowlers. But somewhere they lose out on the strategic front when it comes to the business end of the competition. Waugh’s record as a captain of Australia might address Daredevils’ concerns and help them win their maiden IPL trophy.

8) Mark Waugh

Mark Waugh’s batting was a visual delight. He was the lynchpin of the Aussie batting line-up in the 90s. Waugh had the ability to bat for longer periods once he got his eye in. Waugh started his career bowling medium pace and then switched over to bowling off-breaks.

Role in the IPL:

1) To open the innings and lay a solid foundation for the rest of the batsmen.
2) To contribute with his off-breaks in the middle part of the innings.
3) To take the first slip position during early overs and then field at the covers for pacers and at mid-wicket for spinners.

Ideal team:

Kolkata Knight Riders: KKR would have invested a lot to include Mark Waugh as a part of their setup. His batting surely would have given KKR a great hope and his bowling would have been his X-factor. His fielding would have been a great asset. Often Waugh’s fielding won Australia matches, when he plucked a catch out of thin air or effected an important run out.

9) Michael Bevan

Bevan was the best finisher the world of cricket had ever seen. He was cool and calm under pressure. His mind worked like a computer while engineering run-chases. Winning the matches with the tail was his speciality. Four to win off the last ball and Bevan was your man.

Bevan converted ones into twos- that was one of the most striking features of his batting. He was a useful ‘chinaman’ bowler as well.

Role in the IPL:

1) To bat at number four for the team. To help the team in setting up a good total.
2) To shepherd the run-chases with composure.
3) To bowl a couple of overs for the side in case one of the main bowlers has a bad day.
4) To field in the deep and save precious five to ten runs which could make a huge difference in the final analysis.

Ideal team:

Chennai Super Kings, over the last five editions, have had brilliant finishers. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo have plotted superb finishes to the games. The Super Kings’ management would have surely spent a lot of money to fit Bevan in their scheme of things.