IPL : Players who have been dropped / benched by teams

While some players bounce back from the setback, some take a long time to get on the field due to a lack of faith and opportunities.

BABA APARAJIT

Baba Aparajit is a name very few must have heard, as this youngster has been a very unfortunate cricketer in the history of the IPL so far. He was one of the players who shot into the limelight because of the U19 World Cup in 2012. However, being part of IPL for a long time, the youngster has never played a single IPL match till now. Baba failed to feature in the playing XI in the yellow jersey as the team was filled with many star players. Aparajith was on the bench for the Chennai Super Kings for three years before warming up the bench for the Rising Pune Supergiant in the tournament. Currently, the 27-year-old is a regular member of the Tamil Nadu domestic side, and soon he can knock on the doors of the IPL selectors by performing well for his domestic team.

SIDDHESH LAD

The Mumbai right-handed batsman is a consistent performer in the Ranji Trophy for his domestic team. He made his first-class debut in the 2013 season and soon started winning matches for his domestic side by playing a finisher's role, batting down the order. The lad didn't get a chance to play eleven due to many match-winning stars in the team and warmed the bench for four seasons before getting to play in 2019. In 2019, Siddhesh Lad made his IPL debut against Punjab, making a long wait for the debut to be over. He had been with the Mumbai Indians for the previous five seasons but warming the bench throughout. However, after his debut match, the youngster failed to get any opportunity and didn't play any IPL match.

SHELDON JACKSON

Due to his wonderful Ranji season in 2012, Sheldon Jackson was roped into RCB's squad for the 2013 IPL season. However, he failed to get an opportunity to display his talent and was further released by the franchise. Later KKR picked the young wicketkeeper-batsman in their squad. However, Jackson was benched for two successive seasons. 

He was also impressive in the 2012 Ranji season, and the Royal Challengers Bangalore roped him into their squad for the 2013 IPL season. But he failed to get a match that season and was dropped by the franchise for the next season. In the 2017 season, Jackson finally made his IPL debut for KKR. In that season, he just played four matches scoring mere 38 runs. He was again benched further and went unsold in the 2018 edition. However, KKR rebought him, but due to the presence of Dinesh Karthik, he merely got a chance to play. However, this year he is the primary wicketkeeper of KKR and is doing his job brilliantly. 

Kuldeep Yadav 

Kuldeep Yadav, one of the prime bowlers on the national team, spent a hard time before making his IPL debut. He warmed the bench for nearly three seasons before making his debut for KKR in 2016. In the 2012 edition of the league, Mumbai Indian bagged him in the squad; however, he didn't play a single match in that season. In the 2013 auction, the wrist-spinner went unsold, making his wait for his debut longer. In 2014, he was picked by the Kolkata-based franchise. In their squad, he was again benched for two more seasons due to Sunil Narine, Brad Hogg, and Piyush Chawla. In the 2016 edition of IPL, Kuldeep finally made his debut for KKR against his former franchise MI. Later he became an integral part of the franchise and is a regular member of the Indian cricket team in all formats. However, he was released by the franchise before the mega auction in 2022. Delhi Capitals picked the brilliant spinner in the mega auction, and he is now their primary spinner.