Top 5 players who will be missed in IPL 6
The reason why Indian Premier League has been outclassing all other T20 leagues across the world has been its ability to bring almost all the top players in the world together for two solid months. There might not be any other place in the world where you could have Sachin Tendulkar playing under Ricky Ponting or Virender Sehwag and David Warner coming together to open an innings. Also, the India/Delhi/North Zone opening pair Viru-Gauti could not come out as opponents for a toss anywhere else on earth.
In spite of hogging the limelight in the previous seasons, there are a few players who will not be turning up for this IPL citing various fitness, age and personal reasons and will be sorely missed by their loyal fans. The top five players who will be missed in IPL 6 have been discussed here.
5. Varun Aaron
Varun Aaron (L)
The young Indian fast bowler, a big asset to the Delhi Daredevils franchise, is one of the very few Indian bowlers who could bowl with genuine pace. With more than half of his opportunities getting snatched away by serious injuries, Aaron will miss this season with yet another big injury. Aaron is famous for clocking 150+ kmph in the IPL and with Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav in Delhi’s ranks, Aaron could have formed a threatening trio along with them. Aaron now misses on an opportunity to showcase his skills to get his bus into the bigger stage.
4. Michael Clarke
Clarke’s injury has aggravated Pune’s problems
Clarke might not be a member of his national T20 side and he might possess an awful record in his previous IPL season; but everyone knows that on his day, Michael ‘Pup’ Clarke might just be the most dangerous customer with his all-round abilities on the field. One of the few Australian players to have a good track record in India, Clarke was expected to lead the Pune Warriors India in the race for their maiden title quest this season. But with a back injury ruling him out of the sixth edition, Pune fans have been left with nothing short of a major disappointment this season.
3. Jesse Ryder
Ryder has now suffered a career threatening injury
The giant Kiwi batsman is better famous for his off-field antics. But once he gets set in the crease, he could be a little more than dangerous for the bowlers. Ryder, who was supposed to turn out for the Delhi Daredevils this season after being released by Pune last year, will be missing this IPL after getting brutally assaulted in Wellington a few days ago. Ryder was tipped to provide the firepower to Delhi in the absence of Ross Taylor and Kevin Pietersen, but his unavailability now means that the Daredevils are going to miss out on this powerhouse of a player.
2. Kevin Pietersen
The controversial switch hit from KP
Probably one of the most destructive batsmen of the modern era, Pietersen is one of those players who have a huge fan following all around the world. His aggression and innovation would be missed big time in IPL 6 owing to the knee injury he picked up in New Zealand and this means that Delhi has lost the tooth in their middle order. More than his presence in the Delhi line-up, the fans of all teams would miss the entertainment in the form of his unorthodox switch hits and the uppish cover drives.
1. Sourav Ganguly
PWI might have lesser number of fans than the previous edition
The former Indian captain is considered to be a demi-God in East India and his aggressive captaincy definitely earned him the most loyal fan base for any cricketer in the world. Nicknamed ‘Dada’ by his fans, Ganguly, when representing Pune Warriors India, made people from Kolkata support his team while playing against the home franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. The memories of Ganguly shouting in jubilation scalping Kevin Pietersen last year will be etched for a long time in the hearts of Indian fans. With Ganguly not even turning up as a mentor this season, millions of his fans already feel let down by his absence. ‘Dadagiri’ will be solely missed!