3 players who were backups of 1 franchise but got signed by another team as replacement in IPL ft. Keshav Maharaj

IPL has transformed a lot over the last few years. During the initial years of the league, some foreign players would make themselves available only for a few matches. However, times have changed now.

In the ongoing season, quite a few unsold players are present with the franchises as backup options. If any player gets injured, the backup player can join the main squad as soon as possible.

It is pertinent to note that a franchise can sign a particular unsold player as replacement if he is a backup option of another team. For example, Sri Lankan all-rounder Dasun Shanaka had been with the Delhi Capitals as a backup player in IPL 2025, but now, the Gujarat Titans have roped him in as a replacement for the injured Glenn Phillips.

This was not the first time a team signed a backup option of another franchise as a replacement. Here's a list of three such previous instances.

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#1 Keshav Maharaj - IPL 2024

South African spinner Keshav Maharaj has made a name for himself with his excellent left-arm spin-bowling performances. Despite his fantastic bowling for South Africa, Maharaj has never earned a contract at the IPL auctions.

In 2024, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) offered Maharaj to join them as a backup player in the squad. The South African player said yes and traveled to India to help the LSG squad with their preparations.

Rajasthan Royals (RR)'s fast bowler Prasidh Krishna was ruled out of the tournament, which is why RR needed a bowling option. The Royals opted to include Maharaj in their squad as a replacement signing. Maharaj played two matches for RR, scalping two wickets at an economy rate of 6.50 runs per over.

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#2 Scott Kuggeleijn - 2021

New Zealand fast bowler Scott Kuggeleijn turned up for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2019. He played two matches for CSK, picking up two wickets at an average of 35.50. CSK did not back him much, and in 2021, he found himself working as a net bowler for the Mumbai Indians (MI).

Midway during the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)'s fast bowler Kane Richardson decided to opt out of the competition. To make up for Richardson's absence in the pace battery, RCB roped in Scott Kuggeleijn from the MI net bowlers' list.

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#3 Dominic Drakes - 2021

Another overseas fast bowler who earned a contract as a replacement from another team while working as a net bowler for a different franchise in 2021 was Dominic Drakes. The Caribbean all-rounder joined the Mumbai Indians as a support bowler for the UAE leg of the competition.

At that time, the Chennai Super Kings needed a replacement for their injured all-rounder Sam Curran. CSK decided to bring Drakes into their squad as a replacement.

Interestingly, Drakes did not play a single game but got a chance to lift the IPL trophy as CSK became the champions. Later in 2022, Drakes joined Gujarat Titans and lifted the trophy again without playing a single match for the Ahmedabad-based franchise.