The IPL’s 16th edition commenced on March 31st, and the tournament has already presented some top-notch T20 cricket. Indian youngsters have stood out with their exceptional performances in both batting and bowling.
The Impact Player rule introduced in this year’s IPL has added an intriguing aspect to the competition, leading to teams making tactical changes and providing them with more options.
Due to various reasons such as opposition matchups, pitch conditions, and player form, captains have opted not to use their primary bowlers on some days. This article focuses on five occurrences in which a frontline spinner did not bowl in an IPL match.
Axar Patel vs GT, Delhi 2023
In their second match of the current season, Delhi Capitals played against the defending champions, choosing to bat first and scored 162/8. Axar Patel played a key role, scoring 36 runs off 22 deliveries, providing a much-needed boost to the team. However, in the second innings, despite his impressive performance, Axar Patel was not given a chance to bowl. David Warner relied only on Kuldeep Yadav as the spinner, who finished with 0/18 in three overs. As a result, DC lost the match by six wickets with 11 balls to spare at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Ravindra Jadeja vs MI, Pune 2018
During IPL 2018, Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to field first against CSK, who played a home game due to the Cauvery water protests. CSK scored 169/5 in the first innings, with Suresh Raina’s unbeaten 75 off 47 balls being the highlight. Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir were used by captain MS Dhoni, but Ravindra Jadeja did not bowl. However, MI won the match by eight wickets with two balls remaining.
Sunil Narine vs RCB, Eden Gardens 2017
The RCB vs KKR match that took place in 2017 is still regarded as one of the most noteworthy IPL matches to this day. KKR batted first and could only manage to score 131 runs in the first innings. With the exception of Sunil Narine’s swift 34 off just 17 balls at the top of the order, no other batsman managed to make an impact.
In response, KKR’s fast bowlers wreaked havoc on the star-studded RCB batting lineup. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Colin de Grandhomme, and Chris Woakes claimed three wickets each, while Umesh Yadav picked up one. They dismissed the entire RCB lineup in just 9.4 overs, with only 49 runs on the board.
Therefore, Narine did not get a chance to bowl in this match, as the pitch favored the fast bowlers even in the second innings.
Harbhajan Singh vs Delhi Daredevils, Wankhede 2012
Delhi Daredevils (now called Delhi Capitals) won the toss and opted to field first against Mumbai Indians. The bowling attack performed impressively, restricting the home team to just 92 runs in the first innings. Each of Shahbaz Nadeem, Umesh Yadav, Morne Morkel, and Ajit Agarkar took two wickets, while Irfan Pathan claimed one. Mumbai’s total was kept low by Harbhajan Singh and Rohit Sharma, who scored 33 and 29 runs, respectively.
However, in the second innings, Harbhajan decided not to bowl. Aside from Pragyan Ojha’s four overs, he solely used pacers. Delhi won the match by seven wickets with 31 balls remaining.
Ravichandran Ashwin vs MI, Cape Town 2009
During the second season’s opening match of the Indian Premier League held in South Africa, Ravichandran Ashwin made his debut. Chennai Super Kings won the toss and chose to field, allowing Mumbai Indians to score 165/7, with Sachin Tendulkar remaining unbeaten on 59 off 49 balls. Despite being part of the CSK squad, Ashwin did not have the chance to bat or bowl in his debut match. MS Dhoni, the CSK captain, opted to use Manpreet Gony, Thilan Thushara, Andrew Flintoff, Jacob Oram, and Joginder Sharma instead of him. CSK lost the game by 19 runs, marking a rare occasion where they did not use a single over of spin in their bowling innings.