3 overseas players who did not get a single match in IPL 2024 league stage despite being available ft. Kyle Mayers

IPL 2024's league stage is done and dusted. Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have emerged as the top 4 teams of the tournament. One out of these four teams will lift the championship at the MA Chidambaram Stadium this Sunday (May 26).

The league round of IPL 2024 consisted of 70 matches. Six other teams, namely Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, were also in the race to the playoffs. However, they had to settle for a Bottom 6 finish in the IPL 2024 points table.

Overseas players have played a huge role in the top 4 teams' success. While SRH and RCB are led by overseas players Pat Cummins and Faf du Plessis, respectively, Sunil Narine and Jos Buttler played a major role in KKR and RR's respective journeys to the playoffs.

While players like Narine, Buttler, Cummins, and du Plessis walked into their sides' match squads for every game they were available for, here's a list of three foreign players who did not get a single opportunity to play in IPL 2024 league round.

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#1 Kyle Mayers, Lucknow Super Giants

Kyle Mayers established himself as the first-choice overseas opener for the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2023. The Caribbean all-rounder aggregated 379 runs in 13 innings at a fantastic strike rate of 144.11, with his highest score being 73.

Some fans even considered him as the 'Chris Gayle of Lucknow Super Giants'. He even chipped in with seven overs of medium pace, maintaining a decent econony rate of 8.43.

Still, Mayers did not get a single chance to play in IPL 2024. Perhaps, Lucknow could have tried him out for a few games instead of Quinton de Kock, who looked a bit off-color this season. Mayers was only spotted in the pre-match practice sessions and post-match talks in IPL 2024.

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#2 Chris Woakes, Punjab Kings

When Chris Woakes earned a ₹4.2 crore deal from the Punjab Kings, it looked like he would share the new ball with Sam Curran or Arshdeep Singh. However, PBKS kept him on the bench for the entire league stage. He was unavailable only for the last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad last afternoon.

Woakes is a proven match-winner in international cricket. Apart from his right-arm pace, he can also contribute his bit in the batting unit. PBKS made a mistake by not trying out Woakes in any of the games.

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#3 Glenn Phillips, Sunrisers Hyderabad

Glenn Phillips is one of the most complete players in world cricket right now. He can bat aggressively anywhere in the lineup, pick up wickets with his spin, execute incredible dives on the field, and don the gloves behind the stumps as well.

However, Sunrisers Hyderabad have not figured out a way to give him an opportunity in IPL 2024 so far. Phillips has been forced to stay on the bench because Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen have fired on all cylinders.

Captain Pat Cummins takes up one of the foreign players' spots, while the fourth position has been alloted to either Marco Jansen or Vijayakanth Viyaskanth.