The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League was probably the best season in the history of the league. It saw a number of incredible games, close finishes, and brilliant individual performances. In the end, it was the Chennai Super Kings that clinched the win in the final against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium. They won their fifth IPL title and equaled the Mumbai Indians with the joint-most IPL wins. This season had some brilliant performances from some big names, while some uncapped cricketers showcased their incredible talent.
Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, and Noor Ahmed were some brilliant young talents. Then, there were veteran like Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Shikhar Dhawan that set the tournament on fire. However, there were a few big names that didn’t get many chances despite doing well in the few matches they played this season. Here, we will talk about three such players who got dropped despite doing well in the IPL 2023.
3 players who got dropped from the team despite Playing well in the IPL 2023
3. Riley Meredith (Mumbai Indians) – Seven wickets in five games
Riley Meredith joined the Mumbai Indians setup in 2022, in the middle of the season. He played eight games in 2022 and picked up eight wickets at an economy rate of 8.43. However, the franchise didn’t use him well, even in the 16th edition. The Australia pacer warmed up the bench for most of the games in the entire season, mainly because of the availability of Jofra Archer in the team. But when Archer got injured, he played five games and took seven wickets. However, despite that, MI dropped him when Archer returned. But that move didn’t pay them well. Hence, Meredith was one of the unluckiest players to miss some games despite a good performance.
2. Quinton de Kock (Lucknow Super Giants) – 143 runs in four innings
One of the biggest names that sat out for most of the season was veteran South African star Quinton de Kock. The left-hander was the second highest scorer for Lucknow Super Giants in 2022 but he couldn’t make into the playing XI. De Kock joined LSG after first three games and the franchise used Kyle Mayers in his absence at the top. But the West Indian opener had some impactful performances in that period, which forced De Kock to sit out despite joining the team. De Kock got some chances in few games when KL Rahul was ruled out of the team due to injury. He played just four innings and made 143 runs at 35.75 and a strike rate of 140.20. He even missed the Eliminator game against MI.
1. Mitchell Santner (Chennai Super Kings) – 3 wickets in 3 innings at 6.75
Another overseas player who was dropped from the team despite doing well was CSK all-rounder Mitchell Santner. The left-arm spinner has been part of the CSK team since 2018. He played the first three games in the absence of Maheesh Theekshana, who was at his national duty for Sri Lanka. Santner picked up three wickets at a brilliant economy rate of 6.75. But as soon as Theekshana came back, Santner was sidelined and was seen only on the bench.
