IPL is the number one T20 league on earth right now, with many players across the planet dreaming to earn a contract from one of the 10 franchises one day. However, it is not easy to earn the attention of an IPL team. It is even more difficult to feature in the playing XI of a team consistently for the new players.
Several players like Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson and others have catapulted themselves to the next level thanks to the IPL. The Indian selection committee also keeps an eye on the domestic tournaments like Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. When picking players for Tests and ODIs, the top players from the domestic competitions have the upper hand.
In the last two years, there have been three such players who made it to the Indian cricket team’s squad without playing a single IPL match. Here is a list of those three names:
1. Mukesh Kumar
Fast bowler Mukesh Kumar was one of the names present in the Indian squad for the upcoming ODI series against the South African cricket team. When fans saw the name Mukesh Kumar in the team, some of them assumed that he is the left-arm fast bowler Mukesh Choudhary who played for Chennai Super Kings.
However, Mukesh Kumar is a different player. He is a medium pace bowler from Bengal who has scalped 17 wickets in 18 List-A matches so far.
2. R Sai Kishore
Left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore warmed the benches at Chennai Super Kings in multiple IPL seasons. He earned a place in the Indian T20I squad for the away series against Sri Lanka in 2021 before he made his debut for Gujarat Titans in 2022.
3. Simarjeet Singh
Another player who featured in India’s squad for the T20I series against Sri Lanka last year was Simarjeet Singh. He made his debut for the Chennai Super Kings earlier this year.
