IPL 2018: One Player from each of the 8 Teams who should be brought back into the Playing XI

The 11th season of the Indian Premier League is heading to its business end and with the exception of Delhi Daredevils, all the teams are still in the hunt for a spot in the Playoffs. Surisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings have already qualified while the others are trying hard to make it to the playoffs.

The teams have made a number of changes in their playing X1 over the course of the tournament and a few of them have a settled combination while a majority of the teams are still making some changes to their Playing X1 in every game they play.

A settled team often leads to better results but what is more important than having a settled team is having the right players in the right positions and all the eight teams can do better in this aspect.

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Mumbai Indians- Mustafizur Rahman

Mumbai Indians had a struggling start to the IPL with the team losing 5 of their initial 6 games. In order to perform better, Rohit Sharma started changing the team combination to weed out the under-performers but in that process, he removed an in-form Mustafizur Rahman from the XI.

Rahman is one of the best bowlers in the world when it comes to T20s and is a definite pick in any team. He is a brilliant death bowler and can be a useful bowler for the team in the middle overs as well.

Rahman bowled brilliantly in the 6 matches that he played for Mumbai this year and he picked up 7 wickets at an impressive strike rate of 20. He almost won the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in a low scoring encounter as he bowled a brilliant 19th over in that match.

Pat Cummins was brought into the side at his expense but he hasn't been utilized by Rohit as a batsman and he is ineffective as a bowler. JP Duminy is in the side as a batsman but he has batted in only a single match and it is therefore important for the side to replace Cummins with Mustafizur as it would help Mumbai in improving their bowling strength.

Delhi Daredevils- Avesh Khan

Avesh Khan is one of the most impressive fast bowlers in the IPL this year. He is a young boy who has been brilliant in the initial stages of the tournament. He faltered of late but he has already proven that he belongs here.

Khan was extremely impressive in his first three games as he deceived the batsmen with his pace and bounce. He is amongst the fastest bowler in the league and could give Umesh Yadav a run for his money.

Avesh Khan picked up 4 wickets in 5 matches this year. This stat though doesn't do justice to the talent he possesses as the impact he made on Delhi's bowling was palpable.

He had a poor run in the last two games which forced Iyer to look for alternatives. Junior Dala replaced him in the last match but he did not have the greatest of outings. It is now important to back this young Indian talent and give him more opportunities to succeed.

Rajasthan Royals- Rahul Tripathi

Rahul Tripathi was the star of the Rising Pune Supergiants side last year as he had a stunning debut season in IPL. He was the main batsman of the side at a time when Smith and Dhoni weren't able to get runs.

Last year, Tripathi scored 391 runs in 14 matches at an average of 28 and a strike rate of 146. He had the highest score of 93 runs and had two fifties to his name. He provided the team with explosive starts and enabled the finishers in the team to play their game.

Tripathi was used as an opener last year but this year he has been used in the middle order and he has been unable to adjust there. Rajasthan has given multiple opportunities to D'arcy Short and he has failed on all occasions and it is, therefore, important to give this young talent an opportunity to bat at the top of the order in his place.

Kings XI Punjab- David Miller

Kings XI Punjab has long been a team which has underperformed and been extremely inconsistent. This year though things have changed and under Ashwin's captaincy Punjab looks like a team which could go all the way to the Title.

While Kings XI Punjab doesn't seem to be having any problems in the bowling department or in their top order batting, one area which would concern Ashwin is the strength of the team's middle order.

Ashwin has tried Stoinis, Miller, and Finch in the middle order with little success. Stoinis in unable to provide the team with the ideal finish as he doesn't have the ability to clear the boundaries with ease while Finch and Miller have been struggling with form.

Finch isn't ideally suited to play the role of a finisher as he is unable to start against spin with the field spread out and hence it is important for Punjab to bring Miller into the playing X1 as he can clear the boundary with ease and has done the job for the team previously as well.

Sunrisers Hyderabad- Basil Thampi

Sunrisers Hyderabad is one of the sides which has always relied on their bowling strength to win the IPL Title. SRH won the 2016 title on the back of impressive performances of their captain Warner and their bowling attack and they are trying for a repeat of 2016 this year.

SRH has a plethora of quality bowlers in their side and as a result, a number of talents are being denied an opportunity. Basil Thampi is one of the bowlers who has paid the price for being in a bowling heavy squad.

Thampi played in a few matches when Bhuvneshwar Kumar was injured and was pretty impressive. He was also brilliant last year when he played for Gujarat Lions as he was the main strike bowler of the side.

Siddarth Kaul has been struggling off late and Thampi can be an ideal addition in his place

Kolkata Knight Riders- Shivam Mavi

Shivam Mavi is one of the players who was unearthed in this year's Under-19 World Cup. He was prolific in that competition and was picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders on the basis of those performances.

Mavi had a mixed season so far as he has bowled excellently in some matches and has faltered in others but one thing that was evident is his talent. He has the ability to bowl in the 140s at such a young age and has deadly inswingers in his armory.

Mavi wasn't utilized properly in the beginning and therefore seemed to struggle but he can be a useful addition to the team now as the foreign pacers have struggled for KKR and him along with Prasidh Krishna are more than capable of handling the pace bowling department and this would allow Dinesh Karthik to add another foreign all-rounder to the squad.

Royal Challengers Bangalore- Washington Sundar

Washington Sundar is one of the most talented players in the country at present and if at an age of 19 he is able to play for the country it is because of the sheer talent that this young boy possesses.

RCB have been struggling this year as the side has been unable to find the right balance due to the poor performance of some of their star players and Washington is one of them. However, if used properly he can be the solution to two of the biggest problems plaguing RCB.

Washington is a brilliant spinner but he wasn't at his best in the initial few games as he had to increase his bowling speed to prevent from being hit for sixes in the small Chinnaswamy stadium and was therefore ineffective.

Washington can be brought back into the side now as he has the ability to solve RCB's opening woes as well as their spinning woes. He has the ability to bowl tight overs and pick wickets in the middle overs even if he is unable to bowl well in the powerplay overs. He has a prolific record as an opener in the Tamil Nadu Premier League and can be a great opener for RCB as well.

Chennai Super Kings- Murali Vijay

Chennai Super Kings was one of the teams which were making a comeback after a gap of two years. The team has had a fabulous return to the league as they have qualified to the playoffs for the 9th time in 9 seasons.

CSK has had a decent season so far as they are second in the points table but they too have a few concerns with their bowling. CSK's bowling has been poor in a number of matches and Dhoni needs to address it before they reach the playoffs.

Murali Vijay is one player who has performed brilliantly in CSK's yellow jersey. He has been one of the best match-winners for CSK over the years. He is one of the three Indian players to have scored two centuries in IPL and has the ability to win matches for his side single-handedly.

Vijay can also solve the bowling problem of the side as his inclusion will allow Dhoni to replace Sam Billings with a foreign pacer in Ngidi.