After finding no takers in the auction, Shardul Thakur now sits atop the wicket-takers' list in the Indian Premier League 2025. With six scalps in two games, Thakur has proved franchises wrong and now seems like the leader of the Lucknow Super Giants bowling attack. (Schedule | Teams | Points Table)
He is not the first player who has left behind the disappointment of not being picked in the IPL auction through spectacular performances. Below is a list of six players who came in as replacement players and had a brilliant IPL.
1. Shaun Marsh
The Orange Cap winner of the inaugural IPL, Shaun Marsh, was not even picked in the auction ahead of the opening edition. The left-hander hit 616 runs in 11 games that season after replacing his countryman Simon Katich in the Kings XI Punjab squad. With the spectacular opening season, Marsh, then 24, etched his name in IPL history.
2. Rajat Patidar
Now the RCB captain, Patidar was released by the franchise after IPL 2021 but returned in the 2022 edition as a replacement player for Luvnith Sisodia. Patidar then rocked the IPL with a mind-blowing 54-ball 112 for RCB against LSG in the Eliminator to become the first uncapped player to slam a ton in the play-offs. Patidar scored 333 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 152.75 in IPL 2022 and is now the captain of the franchise.
3. Phil Salt
It came as a shock to cricketing world that Phil Salt went unsold ahead of the IPL 2024. However, he would join KKR as a replacement player for Jason Roy and would prove why everyone was shocked with him not finding takers. The Englishman played a valuable role in KKR's title winning campaign with 435 runs at a lightning strike rate of 182.01. He formed a deadly opening duo with Sunil Narine and played a big part in KKR's triumph
4. Hashim Amla
The South African was never picked in an IPL auction due to his image of being a slow batter. However, he proved his critics wrong when he was signed as a replacement player for Shaun Marsh in IPL 2017 at the Kings XI Punjab. Amla scored 420 runs in 10 matches at an average of 40.00 and a strike rate of 145.83. He also scored two tons that season and still remains the only South African to achieve this feat in IPL.
5. Chris Gayle
There is not a more memorable IPL replacement deal than that of Christopher Henry Gayle. After going unsold ahead of IPL 2011, the dashing left-hander joined RCB as a replacement for Dirk Nannes. The rest is history.
The 'Universe Boss' dominated the IPL like few others have even till now. 608 runs in just 12 matches at a strike rate of over 180. He smashed most sixes and became the first to score multiple centuries in a single IPL edition. The Gayle storm truly arrived that season and the bowlers had not even prepared for it as he was not supposed to arrive!
