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IPL 2020: Total Number Of Uncapped Players In Each Team

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After a forced break of nearly six months, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is back on the calendar from September 19th. Arch-rivals Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings taking on in the opener, this season will be a welcome respite to the fanatics around the nation.

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Unlike the former editions, the focus on squad-depth would be more in IPL 2020. Rustiness on being far from the game and unpredictable COVID situation would oblige teams to have a keener eye on their backups. Also, speaking tactically as well, throwing a bit of randomness into the field during these times could prove to be worthy.

For both the above illustrations, uncapped players would play a huge part. In this article, we focus on this aspect. We list out the number of uncapped players in each of the teams and analyze their roles for the respective squads.

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Chennai Super Kings – 5

Considered as the most experienced unit in the tournament, the unavailability of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh could throw up a few chances for some young players. While Ruturaj Gaikwad has already been touted as Raina’s replacement, also look out for the likes KM Asif and Sai Kishore in the next two months.

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Delhi Capitals – 5

A team brimming with international stars, Delhi could depend less on its uncapped contingent this season. However, the likes of Harshal Patel and Daniel Sams could still get a go based on the conditions. And so could Avesh Khan, who many believe could have his breakout campaign this edition.

Kings XI Punjab – 12

KXIP has 12 uncapped cricketers in its roster, and hence, it is unavoidable that a few make it to the squad. Of the ones who could have an impact, K Gowtham, Sarfraz Khan, and Ravi Bishnoi rank at the top. Ishan Porel could also have a big season, and Deepak Hooda will hope that change in the squad-atmosphere would bring him fortunes.

Kolkata Knight Riders – 12

There are 12 such cricketers in the purple-and-gold squad too. Dinesh Karthik, Kuldeep Yadav, and Shubman Gill are the only capped Indians in this team. While Nitish Rana and Prasidh Krishna would be enforced with greater responsibilities, the likes of Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, and Rahul Tripathi would also have to step up.

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Mumbai Indians – 7

Mumbai Indians boasts of splendid scouting set up through which many stars have taken the big step to the Indian team in recent times. This season as well, a couple of young uncapped cricketers could shine in the MI camp. While our pick would be Anukul Roy, there is some buzz around Digvijay Deshmukh and Balwant Singh too. Nevertheless, MI would not have to depend too much on their services as the team barring Suryakumar Yadav, who we think is the best-uncapped cricketer in the competition.

Rajasthan Royals – 12

It is not a surprise that Rajasthan Royals has 12 uncapped cricketers in their squad. RR is a team that usually acts as a stepping stone, and its no different this season. Nevertheless, there are some exciting youngsters to look forward to. While Shreyas Gopal would be the most experienced uncapped cricketer, RR’s latest acquisitions Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kartik Tyagi, and Akash Singh, would also have to play their respective roles often. Riyan Parag, Manan Vohra, and Ankit Rajpoot would also look to do well in IPL 2020.

Royal Challengers Bangalore – 4

RCB happens to have the fewest number of uncapped cricketers, and yet, the crew reeks of inexperience. That is because some of their capped stars haven’t had a sound go in the Indian squad so far. The likes of Gurkeerat Mann, Pawan Negi, and Mohammed Siraj fall in this category. Talking about the uncapped stars, RCB has three prospects in Devdutt Padikkal, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Josh Philippe. Although we have seen Pavan Deshpande do well for Karnataka, he is unlikely to take the field this season.

Sunrisers Hyderabad – 9

The Hyderabad-based franchise’s strategy at the IPL 2020 auctions was majorly based on the squad’s future. Hence, they made some shrewd purchases in the form of Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, and Abdul Samad. While at least one of these three will always be a part of the XI, there would be some expectations around young all-rounder Abhishek Sharma too.