IPL 2018: One expensive player from each eliminated team who did not get a single chance

With Chennai Super Kings beating the Kings XI Punjab in the last league stage game of IPL 2018, we now know the four teams that will feature in the playoffs. While Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad will lock horns in Qualifier 1, Kolkata Knight Riders will host Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator.

Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab bowed out of the competition on the very last day of league stages and they will join the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils in the bottom four. Looking back, these four teams will spot few mistakes too many. Amongst the plethora of errors, they will find not giving opportunities to key players to be one.

Let us have a look at one expensive player from each team who was benched for the entire length of the season:

#4 Gurkeerat Singh Mann (Delhi Daredevils)

The all-rounder was bought for INR 75 lakhs

Having played 30 IPL games so far, Gurkeerat Singh Mann had the necessary experience to deliver for Delhi Daredevils. However, the team selection is something that has not been spot on for the team coached by Ricky Ponting and thus, the all-rounder did nothing this season, except for sitting on the bench and enjoying the game.

DD spent ₹ 75 lakhs to get his signature for no good reason. The former Kings XI Punjab player did not get many chances in the last edition of IPL either but had a good season in 2016.

Given the fact that their ship was already sinking towards the end of the tournament, the DD management could have tried this hard-hitting option.

#3 Ben Dwarshuis (Kings XI Punjab)

The Australian quick was not

utlilized

by Kings XI Punjab

The 23-year-old Australian fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis has had a good T20 career so far, which led Kings XI Punjab to splurge as much as INR 1.4 crores on him. However, he remains the only overseas option of Kings XI Punjab who did not get a chance to don the red jersey.

The man from Kareela, New South Wales, has a T20 career economy rate of just over 8 runs per over and an average of under 25. Though Andrew Tye did a phenomenal job for them, skipper Ravichandran Ashwin could have gone with two foreign pacers, especially when his foreign batters were not performing up to the mark.

#2 Rahul Chahar (Mumbai Indians)

Rahul Chahar made his IPL debut for Rising Pune Supergiant last season

The 18-year-old leggie Rahul Chahar made his IPL debut for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant last year. Though he got only a couple of opportunities, he was able to grab attention with his tidy and economical bowling. Coupled with good domestic performances, Chahar fetched a lucrative contract from the defending champions.

However, the ₹1.9 crores player was sidelined by Mayank Markande and he stepped into the ground only to be a substitute fielder. On the contrary, his elder brother Deepak Chahar made a name for himself by virtue of his amazing performances for Chennai Super Kings.

#1 Navdeep Saini (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Kulwant Khejroliya and later on Mohammed Siraj were preferred ahead of Navdeep Saini

The 25-year-old Haryana-born pacer Navdeep Saini had an exceptional domestic season. Hence, it was obvious that he will fetch interest from many tables at the auction but a contract of INR 3 crores was quite unexpected. He landed in Virat Kohli's team Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he did not get a chance to make his IPL debut.

In the initial stages of the tournament, Kohli preferred Saini's Delhi teammate Kulwant Khejroliya ahead of him and later on went with Mohammed Siraj.

Siraj got 11 opportunities despite having an economy rate of around 9 runs per over, whereas Saini has an unparalleled T20 career economy rate of 6 runs per over.