The IPL playoffs are the most thrilling part of each season. The BCCI introduced the playoffs format in 2012. The top two teams receive two chances to qualify for the final. The third and fourth placed teams must win three consecutive knockout games to win the title.
With the addition of two additional teams in 2022, the IPL league stage has grown to 70 matches. Each team plays 7 matches at home and 7 matches away. The top 4 teams qualify for the playoffs
Teams like to play in the playoffs with their best performing squad from the league stage. However, there have been a few of cases in the Indian Premier regular’s long history where a team benched a player during the leaguestage and then brought him directly into the starting XI for the playoffs.
Here are two such players who were benched in the league but were given a chance to play in the playoffs directly.
1) Darshan Nalkande, GT, 2023 Qualifier 1
Last season, the Gujarat Titans wowed everyone with their strategies and team management. GT utilised the most of their players in the league round before relying on the best performers in the playoffs. They identified their ideal team composition, which helped them win the championship in their first season.
Fans anticipated Hardik Pandya and Ashish Nehra to perform similarly in the IPL 2023 playoffs. However, Pandya and Nehra chose to play an unproven Darshan Nalkande in the Qualifier 1 match against the Chennai Super Kings. Nalkande took the place of Yash Dayal.
Nalkande was given four overs by GT. He finished as the costliest bowler with numbers of 1/44. GT lost the game by 15 runs as a result of the experiment. It will be intriguing to see if Nalkande plays in Qualifier 2 tonight.
2) Sunny Gupta, DC, 2012 Qualifier 2
Only Sunny Gupta can brag about playing sole game of his career in the IPL playoffs. Gupta made his Delhi Capitals debut against the Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 2 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. After dropping Purple Cap holder Morne Morkel from the starting XI, Delhi selected mystery spinner Gupta for the Qualifier 2 of IPL 2012
Gupta was given the first over by captain Virender Sehwag, but the choice backfired. In three wicketless overs, the rookie off-spinner let up 47 runs. CSK finished with a total of 222/5 in 20 overs. While chasing, Delhi lost all of their wickets for 136 runs, resulting in an 86 run loss.
