IPL will never be the same without the likes of the biggies, who have put themselves out of contention for this year’s IPL. IPL 2022 has a lot of young talents and even experienced players who are cashing in with their memorable stints wherever required. However, IPL 2022 has lost its charm owing to the absence of a few sensational players who have shown their class and their great art of the game!!
We at IWMBuzz.com take you through the players who are being missed very badly in this ongoing season of IPL!! The reason for opting out varies from retirement to bio bubble fatigue to injury to personal reasons.
Let us take a look!!
Chris Gayle:
The Universal Boss is not there to create the sensational ‘Gayle Storm’ in Mumbai this season. The big hitter’s absence is being felt this season and probably he has left a vacuum with his absence in the IPL field. In 142 IPL games, he has scored 4965 runs at an average of 39.72. His score of 175 is still the highest individual score in the history of the tournament. He is one of the best hitters of the cricket ball on the planet as he batted with a strike rate of 148.96 in the League. It is hard to believe that Chris Gayle’s IPL career is over. Only time will answer that!! As of now, he refrained from putting his name in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction 2022.
Ben Stokes:
Ben Stokes who is a valuable player for his National Team England, has been one of the solid pillars in the growth of the Rajasthan Royals as a team. Earlier picked by Rising Pune Supergiants, Ben Stokes has been one of the most dependable players for Rajasthan Royal till last year. An injury ended his IPL journey earlier in the year 2021. Low mental health also kept him away from National cricket. Ben Stokes decided to pull out of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction when he was not retained by Rajasthan Royals. What a pity, that he is not shining on the IPL field today!!
AB de Villiers:
AB de Villiers’ retirement from all forms of cricket, including T20s of all versions, came as a big blow to the IPL fraternity. AB’s sheer talent will be missed in this shortest format of the game. A game-changer with all abilities to take the game into his hand, from any given situation, AB’s flourish in IPL will always be remembered. His stunning career in IPL with the team Royal Challengers Bangalore will be evergreen in the minds of cricket lovers.
Mitchell Starc:
The Australian speedster opted out of the IPL 2022 auction at the last minute, fearing yet another bio-bubble environment to go through. He was quoted saying that he feared being part of another 22 weeks of bio-bubble and wanted time for himself.
Jason Roy:
Jason Roy, the England cricketer was bought by Gujarat Titans for his base price of INR 2 Crore. However, Jason Roy opted out of the IPL 2022 owing to bio-bubble fatigue. He had earlier withdrawn himself from IPL in the year 2020 due to personal reasons.
Sam Curran:
The England all-rounder was on the winning side of Chennai Super Kings last year, and had enormous individual contributions to the team’s success. However, he was not retained by CSK and this meant that he had to fight his way into the IPL season via the 2022 auction. Curran took a last-minute decision of staying away from this year’s IPL and concentrate on his overall rehabilitation as a player.
Kylie Jamieson:
Jamieson the New Zealand quickie had a good outing in the 2021 IPL with Royal Challenges Bangalore. However, he pulled out of the mega auction this year, citing the challenges of playing amid the Covid norms and regulations.
Truly, certain players are too big to be matched!! Their temperament for playing the game and their passion to follow their instincts will always be remembered!! We hope to see a few of these at least in the IPL season next year!!