IPL 2019: One bowler from each team who can be used as a pinch hitter

#2 Mumbai Indians: Mitchell McClenaghan

McClenaghan is certainly handy with the bat

Considering how de Kock has adapted himself at the top with Rohit Sharma, MI might not look for a replacement for the opener. But, as we mentioned earlier there can be days when batsmen find it really difficult to score runs and it requires unpredictability to tackle the conditions.

McClenaghan's strike rate of 128.79 might not be something that makes him an easy choice, but his ability to take on any pace bowlers for runs without the fear of losing his wicket could grant him an opportunity to play the role of the hitter to perfection when the team needs one.

As of late, McClenaghan has been trusted to score some quick runs at the tail end of the innings and he could very well be given the same responsibility at the top of the order if the situation demands. After all, Rohit is someone who always trusted his players a lot and never backs out from giving them enough chances to prove.

#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore: Tim Southee

Southee can be worth a try

We had an elaborate discussion on the decisions that Kohli could make to change his team’s fortune. One of those we suggested in the article was to make some surprising calls. Here we are, with a shocking call that Kohli could make to surprise his fans and the opposition.

Tim Southee is not a bad option with the bat either. To his credit, he has a decent strike of 138.32 which is pretty good for a no.10 batsman. Imagine a scenario where the pitch assists swing and batsmen find it difficult to score runs.

Southee could be a better option in that case since he plays freely and hits boundaries whenever the bat swing connects. RCB can feel much better due to the fact that they could easily have a good start at the expense of losing a bowler's wicket.

#4 Rajasthan Royals: Jofra Archer

Archer failed to utilize his first chance

He has been tried as an opener once during the last IPL season when Rajasthan Royals was up against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last league game. Although he ended up getting out for a duck in 4 balls, the decision to play him at the top looked really shocking.

It is worthy to note that Archer got the opportunity to open with the bat due to the departure of Buttler for national duties and this year too we expect the English players to leave at some point to join their team for World Cup. There is also an ODI series with Pakistan before that.

With Buttler likely to miss out on a certain number of games, RR would be looking for an alternate to fill in the aggressive opener’s slot. In that case, Archer could be given another chance to prove his mettle with the bat. Even if not for the opener's role, RR should fancy sending Archer at the top order and see what transpires.

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