IPL 2018: The Bench-warmers XI

The Indian Premier League is one of the best T20 leagues in the world and everyone wants a piece of the action. At the auction table, franchises look to get all bases covered by investing in different types of players for different situations. A lot of international big names end up warming the bench for their teams in the IPL every year. This is because the team management is in pursuit of a balanced line up and obviously everyone can't play every game. Some players are picked at the auctions just as backups and they sit on the sidelines waiting for their turn to prove themselves on the field for their franchise.

Here's a well-balanced line up of the bench-warmers who have played no more than one game in IPL 2018:

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Openers:

#1 Manjot Kalra

Manjot Kalra is a left-handed opening batsman who was picked by the Delhi Daredevils at his base price of 20 lakhs. Who can forget his unbeaten century in the final of the U19 World Cup earlier this year that took India to victory against Australia? Unfortunately, Manjot did not play a single game for the Delhi franchise this season. This young batsman from Delhi bats with the typical grace of a left-handed batsman and is a fine prospect for Indian Cricket.

#2 Murali Vijay

Vijay was bought by his home franchise, CSK in the IPL 2018 players auction

Murali Vijay was bought by the Chennai Super Kings for 2 Crores in the player auction this year. He has enjoyed huge success with CSK in the past and was happy to be back with his home franchise. He played only one game for CSK in IPL 2018 as Ambati Rayudu found form early in the tournament. Vijay is an experienced campaigner in the IPL having played over a hundred matches in the tournament and is a valuable asset to any team.

Middle Order:

#3 Naman Ojha (WK)

Naman Ojha in action for SRH in IPL 2016

Naman Ojha is a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman who hails from Madhya Pradesh. After having represented RR and SRH in the past, he was bought by the Delhi Daredevils for 1.4 Crore in this year's players auction. Ojha is a technically sound top-order batsman who has been knocking on the doors of the Indian selectors for a long time now. He played only one game for DD in IPL 2018 and will be waiting for his next opportunity eagerly.

#4 Sachin Baby

Sachin Baby is a technically sound batsman who can play the role of an anchor in the middle order

Sachin Baby came into the limelight while playing for RCB in IPL 2016. He is a left-handed batsman who can anchor the innings in the middle order. With a respectable strike rate of 130 in T20s, he can change gears with ease and find the boundary at will. He was picked up by SRH for this season of the IPL but didn't play a single game for the franchise. He will look to make his presence felt next season by performing well for Kerala this year.

#5 Manzoor Dar

Manzoor Dar worked as a watchman to make ends meet before he was picked in the IPL

Manzoor Dar is a hard-hitting middle-order batsman from Jammu & Kashmir. Dar was bought by the Kings XI Punjab for 20 Lakh, making him the second player from J&K to be picked in the IPL. He used to work as a watchman to make ends meet and the IPL contract gives him a much-needed boost to take his cricketing career to the next level. He has a whopping strike rate of 145 in T20s and can take apart a bowling attack single-handedly on his day.

All-Rounders:

#6 Cameron Delport

Cameron Delport in action for Sydney Thunder in the BBL

Cameron Delport is a South-African all-rounder who bludgeons the ball at a strike rate of close to 140 and bowls medium pace at a decent economy of 7.65. He has traveled the world and plied his trade in T20 leagues around the world like the BBL, PSL and the BPL to name a few. Cameron was picked up by the Kolkata Knight Riders at his base price of 30 lakhs but did not play a game in IPL 2018. He will be hoping to come back stronger next year.

#7 Chris Jordan

Chris Jordan is a death overs specialist in white ball cricket

Chris Jordan is an English bowler who bowls right arm fast-medium. He burst onto the scene with his all-round abilities while playing for Sussex and was soon picked for England. He has become a death overs specialist for England in white ball cricket but is yet to prove himself in the IPL. He is also known for his big hitting prowess in the fag end of the innings. Jordan was picked by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2018 but played just one game in the tournament.

Spin Bowlers:

#8 Jayant Yadav

Jayant Yadav bowls at an outstanding economy of 5.95 in T20s

Jayant Yadav is a spin bowler from Haryana who was a part of the Delhi Daredevils squad in this edition of the IPL. He bowls right arm off-spin at an outstanding economy of 5.95 in T20s. Yadav is equally handy with the bat and has scored a test century against England at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. He did not get a game with the Delhi franchise this season and will hope to prove his worth through the course of this year.

#9 Akila Dananjaya

Akila Dananjaya has a plethora of variations in his arsenal

Akila Dananjaya is a right arm unorthodox spinner from Sri Lanka. He has a plethora of variations like the carrom ball, doosra, leg break and the googly along with his stock off-spinner. He was bought by the Mumbai Indians for 50 lakhs in the player auction this year but featured in only one game for the defending champions. Akila can trouble the best of batsmen with his guile and will hope to get more chances in the next season of the IPL.

Pacers:

#10 Mark Wood

Mark Wood consistently bowls at 90mph

Mark Wood is an English fast bowler who consistently bowls at 90mph. He first caught the eye of the cricketing world with his raw pace while representing Durham and was drafted into the England test squad in 2015. He made his IPL debut for the Chennai Super Kings in the very first match of IPL 2018 but did not feature in the CSK playing XI after that. Wood has a decent bowling average of 26.95 in T20s and is known for his wicket-taking ability.

#11 Navdeep Saini

Navdeep Saini picked up 34 wickets for Delhi in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season

Navdeep Saini is a fast bowler from Delhi who shone in the Ranji Trophy 2017-18, picking up 34 wickets in the season and taking Delhi to the final. He was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping 3 Crores in the IPL players auction 2018. Saini did not get an opportunity to play for RCB and show the IPL fraternity what he is capable of in this season of the lucrative T20 league. He will look to come back stronger next year.