The first month of the Indian Premier League 2023, which began on March 31, is nearly over. forty of the tournament’s matches have already been completed. So far, the game has been excellent, with many matches being decided on the final ball.
This season has garnered a lot of interest from fans not only because of the nail-biting finishes but also because of the remarkable comebacks displayed by the players. After going unsold in the IPL 2022 auction, several senior players, including Mohit Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Ishant Sharma, and Amit Mishra, have made substantial returns to the league.
Both Mohit Sharma of the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Ishant Sharma of the Delhi Capitals (DC) were honoured as the “Player of the Match” for their impressive contributions.
While Mohit, Ishant, Chawla, and Mishra were all part of the 2020-21 season, the following three players returned to the IPL after being absent for over 2,000 days, almost six years.
1. After a break of 2,899 days, Rilee Rossouw played in the IPL again in the 2023 season
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) signed South African player Rilee Rossouw for the 2014 season. He was retained by RCB for the next 2015 IPL campaign as well. The left-handed batsman participated in 5 games in 2014 and 2015, scoring altogether 53 runs. His highest score was 24 runs.
RCB dropped Rossouw, and he failed to sign with another franchise until the IPL 2023 season. After a string of impressive T20I performances for South Africa, he was purchased by the Delhi Capitals (DC) for the current IPL 2023 season.
On April 1, 2023, DC’s season began, and they made him a part of their starting XI to play against the Lucknow Super Giants. Rossouw hadn’t played in the IPL since April 22, 2015, when he last played for RCB against CSK.
2. After a break of 3,242 days, Wayne Parnell featured in the IPL 2023
Another South African player, Wayne Parnell, is back in the IPL this year. The left-handed fast bowler went unsold in the auction for the 2023 season, but he was brought back into the league to replace Reece Topley with the RCB.
In 2011, Parnell debuted for the Pune Warriors before moving on to the Delhi Daredevils. On May 23, 2014, he last played for Delhi in a match against Mumbai Indians before the IPL 2023 season. On April 10, 2023, after a break of 3,242 days, he made his RCB debut against LSG.
3. After 3,981 days, Harpreet Singh Bhatia returned to the IPL in 2023
Recently, Harpreet Singh Bhatia set a new benchmark for the longest time between two IPL appearances. In 2010, Harpreet Singh Bhatia debuted with KKR. He moved to Pune Warriors in 2011, and the match against KKR on May 19, 2012, was the last game he played for Pune Warriors.
After 3,981 days, Bhatia got a spot in the PBKS’s starting XI for their match against LSG on April 15, 2023. He recently scored 41 runs against the Mumbai Indians, displaying an outstanding batting performance.
