Foreign players have been an important part of the Indian Premier League since the first season. Even in the final match of IPL 2021, it was a foreign player who won the Man of the Match award. Most importantly, the presence of foreign players helps the young Indian cricketers gain experience early in their careers.
However, there is a limit of four foreign players in an IPL playing XI. Thus, even some well-established overseas stars miss out on a spot in the playing XI in IPL matches. In this article today, we will glance at the six popular overseas players who did not play a single match in IPL 2021:
1. Mitchell Santner
Kiwi all-rounder Mitchell Santner warmed the benches for Chennai Super Kings in the entire IPL 2021 season. Since CSK had a left-arm spinner available in the form of Ravindra Jadeja, they did not use Santner’s services at all.
2. Sam Billings
Delhi Capitals acquired the services of Sam Billings prior to the IPL 2021 Auction. However, the Englishman did not receive a single opportunity to play. Rishabh Pant kept the wickets for DC in all games.
3. Ben Dwarshuis
Delhi Capitals signed Ben Dwarshuis as a replacement for Chris Woakes before the second phase of IPL 2021. The Australian pacer was on the bench while Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Tom Curran played in DC’s pace attack.
4. Ben Cutting
Another Aussie who warmed the benches in IPL 2021 was Ben Cutting. The Australian all-rounder was with the Kolkata Knight Riders this year but did not play a single match.
5. Dushmantha Chameera
Royal Challengers Bangalore signed Sri Lankan speedster Dushmantha Chameera as a replacement before IPL 2021 UAE leg. The RCB team management picked George Garton over him in the fast-bowling lineup.
6. Oshane Thomas
Oshane Thomas was signed by the Rajasthan Royals as a replacement ahead of the UAE leg of the competition. The Royals were out of the playoffs race before their last match, but they did not give Thomas a single chance to play in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League in the UAE.
