The Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL 2023) is coming halfway, the last two weeks of the league season, with all ten teams still competing for playoff spots, setting up an exciting climax.
The Gujarat Titans (GT) now lead the points table with eight victories in 11 games, while the Delhi Capitals (DC) are in the last position despite winning four of their past five games, with four wins in ten games.
Despite the exciting action on the pitch, the teams are affected by crucial player injuries that have made them miss the rest of the season.
Kane Williamson, David Wiley, Reece Topley, Washington Sundar, and KL Rahul all received injuries on the pitch and were forced to withdraw from the event.
Others who have missed games due to injury include Ben Stokes, Josh Hazelwood, Anrich Rorte, Trent Boult, and Deepak Chahar.
This is in addition to key players such as Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shreyas Iyer, who were all ruled out before the IPL began.
In the past, big-name purchases have been injured for the whole season, putting the team’s success in jeopardy.
On that topic, let’s take a look at three IPL auction signings that were too expensive due to injury.
1) Deepak Chahar – Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2022
Deepak Chahar was one of the mega auction’s most noteworthy purchases ahead of the 2022 season.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) paid a staggering 14 crores for the right-arm medium-pace batsman.
Chahar was instrumental in CSK’s 2021 championship run, taking 14 wickets at an economy rate of 8.35 runs per over. He had been with the franchise since 2018 and took 10 wickets in the 2018 season as CSK won the IPL on return to IPL
The 30-year-old enjoyed his dest year in 2019, taking 22 wickets at an average of 21.90 and an economy rate of 7.47 runs per over to help CSK reach the final.
CSK went all out during the 2022 mega auction, outbidding the Rajasthan Royals and the Delhi Capitals to get Chahar.
However, Chahar was ruled out of the 2022 season due to a back ailment, and the Super Kings finished ninth in the points standings, missing the playoffs.
The addition of Chahar weakened CSK’s bench strength, as the depleted bowling attack battled for consistency throughout the season in Deepak Chahar’s absence.
2) Mitchell Starc – Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2018
Mitchell Starc, an Australian left-arm pacer, has been one of the IPL’s greatest mysteries.
The 33-year-old New South Wales native has been in high demand because to his ability to take early wickets in the powerplay and limit run-scoring at the end.
Starc was the Player of the Tournament in Australia’s 50-Over-World Cup triumph run in 2015. He also played a significant part in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) winning the playoffs in 2015, with 20 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 14.55 and an economy rate of 6.76.
However, injuries and workload management caused the pacer to miss the 2016 and 2017 seasons, prompting him to leave RCB.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) went all out for Starc ahead of the 2018 season, beating off opposition from the Punjab Kings to sign him for 9.40 crores.
Unfortunately, Starc sustained a tibial bone stress injury, causing him to miss the whole IPL season and forcing KKR to release the star bowler in November 2018.
Mitchell Starc’s absence proved expensive, as KKR finished third on the points table but returned empty-handed in 2018.
3) Pat Cummins – Mumbai Indians, IPL 2018
After winning the title in 2017, Mumbai Indians (MI) recruited Australian phenom Pat Cummins in the super auction ahead of the 2018 season for 5.4 crores.
Cummins had a strong season with the Delhi Capitals in 2017, taking 15 wickets in 12 games. The 30-year-old, though, suffered a back injury during a gruelling four-Test series in South Africa, shutting him out of the 2018 season.
His absence proved expensive, as MI failed to make the playoffs in 2018, despite their success in 2017.
Cummins, who made his IPL debut with KKR in 2014, returned in 2022 and played for three years till 2022.
