A few well-known Indian cricketers who have evolved through the Indian Premier League include leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, fast bowler Jasprit Burmah and all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

Also Read: 4 overseas cricketers who were under-utilised by Mumbai Indians

Some cricketers become icons with their respective teams. However, several fans may have forgotten that their IPL careers began with different franchises. While a few players marked their appearances with majestic performances on the field, a few others didn’t meet the selectors’ expectations.

In this article, let us take a look at eight prominent cricketers who were underutilized by the various IPL franchises.

#8 AB de Villiers (Delhi Daredevils)

An exceptional amalgamation of ferocity, wonder and elegance, AB de Villiers is someone who grabbed the cricket world by storm.

AB de Villiers made his Indian Premier League debut for Delhi Daredevils in the inaugural season of the T20 league. He only played six matches for the franchise and scored 94 runs.

Often batting as a finisher in the lower order, de Villiers wasn’t getting enough opportunities to showcase his skills and was eventually released by Delhi.

In the 2011 IPL auction, de Villiers was signed by RCB. He has had a fabulous career with the popular franchise from Bangalore. He has smashed centuries against Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Lions in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Releasing de Villiers would surely be a difficult aspect for Delhi to digest. If they had held on to him, they could have found solutions to their never-ending batting woes.

#7 James Faulkner (Kings XI Punjab)

James Faulkner has had stints with four different franchises in the Indian Premier League. Thus far, the underrated all-rounder has played 60 matches and scored 527 runs aside from picking up 59 wickets.

In 2012 IPL, James Faulkner was a member of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). He did not experience the best of times at KXIP. The all-rounder only played two games in that season, scoring just 14 runs and picking up 3 wickets.

Faulkner was then picked up by the Rajasthan Royals for USD 400,000 whom he played in three editions of the Indian Premier League before moving to the now-defunct Gujarat Lions (GL). The Australian all-rounder has earned two Man of the Match awards in his IPL career.

#6 Chris Lynn (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

In 2013, Chris Lynn was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for their debut season. However, the attacking batsman from Australia didn’t get even a single game that season. In 2012, the right-hander had been a member of the now-defunct Deccan Chargers.

During the 2014 auction, Lynn was purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). In his IPL career thus far, he has scored 875 runs from 28 matches at an amazing average of 35 and a terrific strike rate of 141.12.

The flamboyant opening batsman has contributed to quite a few solid starts for Kolkata Knight Riders. In the 2018 season, he registered 278 runs in just 10 matches at a strong average of 30.78.

If Hyderabad had provided ample opportunities to Lynn in 2013, they could have found an opening pedestal to their slightly feeble batting line-up.

#5 Aaron Finch (Rajasthan Royals)

Aaron Finch has gained prominence for his explosive stroke-play and hard-hitting knocks. During July 2018, the Australian batsman blasted 172 against Zimbabwe and created history by registering the highest individual score in T20Is.

In the Indian Premier League, Finch is the first cricketer to play for seven different teams so far. During the 2010 season, Aaron Finch started his IPL career with Rajasthan Royals.

However, he had an unremarkable season for Rajasthan as he could only play in the solitary match throughout the year. Playing under Shane Warne’s captaincy, he scored 23 runs in that match.

Thus far, Finch has scored 1737 runs in 75 IPL matches at a terrific strike rate of 130.69 and an average of 26.31.

#4 Brad Haddin (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Around 2008, Brad Haddin was recognized by the Australian selectors as the heir apparent to Adam Gilchrist. After the iconic gloveman’s retirement, Haddin became an essential cog in the Australian team with the bat and behind the wickets.

Haddin played 126 ODIs, 66 Tests and 34 T20Is for Australia. His regular performances in the limited overs circuit helped him gain an Indian Premier League stint. In the 2011 IPL auction, he was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders for USD 350,000.

Haddin represented for the Kolkata Knight Riders in just one match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and scored 17 runs. Though he was a member of the Kolkata team in the next few seasons, the game against Bangalore in the 2011 season remains his last IPL appearance.

#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is arguably one of the greatest Indian pacers in the IPL. He was once part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad. Picked up by Bangalore for the 2009 IPL season, the right-arm seamer did not get an opportunity to play even a solitary match.

In the Champions League T20, Bhuvneshwar played one match for Royal Challengers against the Delhi Daredevils in 2009. In 2011, he made his IPL debut for the now-defunct Pune Warriors India (PWI).

In 2012, Bhuvneshwar made his international debut and has since grown into one of the exceptional new ball bowlers in the globe. Currently, he is an essential part of the Indian side across all formats.

After the ouster of Pune Warriors, Bhuvneshwar was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2014 auction. In the 2016 IPL season, he picked 23 wickets and won the Purple Cap award. Royal Challengers Bangalore would have regretted not holding on to the reliable seamer.

#2 Glenn Maxwell (Mumbai Indians)

Glenn Maxwell is one of the most attacking Twenty20 batsmen around the globe. His ability to play innovative shots, to hit all over the park and hence dominate the bowlers are widely renowned. Aside from his skills with the bat, Maxwell is an outstanding fielder and a useful part-time off-spinner.

In the 2013 IPL, Maxwell was picked up by Mumbai Indians for a whopping amount of INR 5.3 crores. He played only three games and scored 38 runs with an average of 13.

In the 2014 Indian Premier League auction, Maxwell was picked up by Kings XI. In what was a breakthrough season, he hammered 553 runs in just 16 matches at a strike-rate of 187.85.

Maxwell’s consistent exploits propelled Kings XI to the 2014 final where they eventually lost to Kolkata Knight Riders.

#1 George Bailey (Chennai Super Kings)

George Bailey is the former Australian skipper who has captained the Kings XI Punjab in Indian Premier League but the unknown fact to several IPL fans that he made his IPL debut with the Chennai Super Kings.

In the 2009 IPL Auction, Bailey was picked up by CSK for INR 24.5 lakh. The former Australian skipper was a member of the Super Kings squad between 2009 and 2012. But he got only 3 matches during his stint in yellow.

Bailey played just two matches and scored 42 runs at a strike-rate of 115.28 in the 2009 season. He played just one match in the title-winning 2010 season and scored 17 runs. After warming the bench in the next two seasons, he eventually moved on to KXIP and then Rising Pune Supergiant.

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