IPL 2019: 5 players underused by their teams

The ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League has once again reminded us why it is widely recognised as the most entertaining, yet herculean, T20 tournament in the world.

To win this coveted prize, one requires consistency, skill and the appetite to strive for more. Every team in this league consists of proven match-winners and the best think tanks, but there lie minute, more specific factors that mold a title-winning outfit.

Each franchise aims to use their best players to the greatest possible effect, assign specific roles to each professional and churn out the right team balance. In the process to attain the same, many players are often left out of the playing XI.

The fierce competition for roles in a team results in the above, but quite often, the teams go wrong in finding their best starting line-up until a particular stage.

Few cricketers with undisputed quality miss out on game time, and on that note, we look at the five such players who were underutilised or not used by their respective teams at all.

1. Mitchell Santner

CSK are known for maintaining and casting a strong nucleus. Almost eight-nine players are certain to be on every single matchday squad, as far as Stephen Fleming's troops are concerned.

This season too, it was the same, with most of their changes being either tactical ones or forced. One such aspect of their success so far has been the use of Harbhajan Singh on spin-friendly tracks such as Chepauk or Vizag. And surely, one cannot leave out the industry of Ravindra Jadeja and Imran Tahir.

This meant that New Zealand off-spinner, Mitchell Santner, was restricted to just four appearances this season, despite the promise shown with both bat and ball. In four games, the left-armer picked up as many scalps at just 6.71 economy rate, with his best figures being a stunning 2/13.

He also hit the winning six in a nail-biting situation against Rajasthan Royals to pocket two points for his side. With the likes of Shane Watson not in the best of touches, one may wonder why Chennai didn't opt for an Indian batsman in order to slot Santner in.

2. Matt Kelly

Regardless of the wicket, surface, conditions or situations, a perfect yorker is a fast bowler's best weapon. It's a work of art, and not many across the cricketing landscape can master it.

One such 24-year-old from Western Australia caught the fancy of everyone in the Big Bash with his toe-crushing yorkers. Matt Kelly rattled timber with his arrow-like deliveries many a time. Remarkably, he doesn't bowl yorkers, the pacer lands most of them right in the blockhole.

KKR brought him in as a replacement for the injured Anrich Nortje, but he failed to get a single game. With Harry Gurney, not the fastest around and Prasidh Krishna leaking runs, Kelly might just have been the escape route for a struggling Knight Riders side.

3. Manan Vohra

Rajasthan Royals had a topsy-turvy IPL season. At times, they were way below par, while on most occasions, they missed out on the finishing line by a misfield or the loss of a key wicket.

The Royals fell short of qualification to the knockout stage by just a point, and probably, they could have and should have won a couple of more matches. Ajinkya Rahane struggled big time before he was relieved of his captaincy duties, and with all due respect, he could have been dropped.

After the departure of Jos Buttler, the 2008 IPL champions opted to open the batting with Rahane and Liam Livingstone. One opener who missed out was Manan Vohra, who grabbed the attention during his stint at Kings XI.

Perhaps, RR should have formed a spin duo comprising of Ish Sodhi and Shreyas Gopal, leaving out Livingstone and playing Vohra, who is more accustomed to the conditions and is definitely a better player of spin bowling.

4. Karun Nair

Karun Nair's career has witnessed a major downfall in the last couple of years. At one time, when he smashed a triple century for India, it looked like he is a man for years to come. Fast forward to present and the elegant willow-wielder is being seen warming the benches for Ravi Ashwin's side.

He was sparingly used as a 12th man during matches, along with the solitary appearance where he managed five runs.

KXIP chopped and change their side way too often, and with David Miller, Sarfaraz Khan and Mandeep Singh not at their consistent best, they should have given a couple of chances to Nair as well.

5. Washington Sundar

RCB had major issues this season with their bowling department - during both the power play and the slog overs. Navdeep Saini was one of the finds of the season, while Yuzvendra Chahal continued to serve his club with wickets. Dale Steyn too had a couple of good matches.

But besides that, no one really stood up to perform and collectively put forth a bowling performance. Washington Sundar was one such option for Virat Kohli, as he is an excellent new-ball bowler.

The Tamil Nadu spinner gets the ball to grip off the surface and extract bounce too, owing to his high-arm action. With the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav going for plenty of runs, Kohli should have handed the new ball to Sundar, thereby assigned him a more defined role.

His match-winning 3/24 against SRH in RCB's final game of the season was a clear testament of his abilities with the ball. Hopefully next season, we will see the crafty off-spinner fetch more minutes on the pitch.