Indian T20 League 2022: 5 players who might be benched for majority of the season

The excitement for the Indian T20 League has reached its peak as the tournament is just a few days away. The teams are ready with their squads, but there are some teams with excess players in some departments. These players are most likely to remain on the bench for most of the season.

Here is a list of players that might be benched for the most part of the Indian T20 League:

Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane has been a great cricketer for many teams across the years. However, the last couple of seasons have not been the best for the veteran cricketer.

He played nine games in the 2020 season and just two games for Delhi in the 2021 season. Rahane has now moved to Kolkata for the 2022 season, and they already have a choice of batters for the position that he plays at. He may remain on the bench for the most time.

Mitchell Santner

Mitchell Santner has been around with the Chennai team for a while now, and they rebought him for the 2022 season as well. The left-arm all-rounder has not been very active in the tournament despite being completely fit and available to the team.

He has only played six games in the Indian T20 League since 2018. This season seems no different, and he might end up being on the bench for most of the upcoming season.

Mustafizur Rahman

Mustafizur Rahman was once considered a very lethal bowler, but that changed because of his injuries. He has been prone to many injuries and his performance has seen a dip over the years. He was purchased by Delhi this season, but they already have a variety of fast bowlers.

That and his injuries may force him to warm the benches for most of the season. However, if some of their primary players are unavailable, he can be the next in line.

Varun Aaron

Varun Aaron was bagged by the newly introduced Gujarat franchise of the Indian T20 League for INR 50 Lakhs. Aaron was famous for his raw pace but was often guilty of not being consistent.

The Gujarat franchise comprises other fast bowling options such as Alzarri Joseph, Mohammad Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Dominic Drakes. Hence, Gujarat might not choose to go with Aaron for every game.

Rishi Dhawan

Rishi Dhawan has had a fantastic year in domestic cricket. He was at the top of his game and played well for Himachal Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, He also guided the team to a season win. This is what attracted Punjab to bid for him in the auction.

But, he may not get a chance to be in the playing XI because the team has some other options that play a lot more regularly in the tournament.