The Indian Premier League’s enthusiasm has spread to every part of the globe. Cricket fans are willing to stay up till the wee hours of the morning to see the thrilling final overs of the IPL. However, for those born in the 1980s and 1990s, the names of a number of talented cricketers are likely to be absent from the list.
Unfortunately, these cricketers retired from the game a long time ago and have never participated in the IPL. Some had a lot of talent, some were ordinary, and some were pure performers who could draw large crowds. They were the Indian cricketers of the 1980s and 1990s who were unlucky enough to be unable to participate in the IPL.
Many domestic players have benefited from the Indian Premier League (IPL). Not only financially, but also in terms of the opportunity to use the platform to represent the country. Because of their IPL accomplishments, a handful has gone on to play for India, but the majority have not.
What if T20 as a concept had its origins in the 1970s? What would have been the players’ reactions to this new format? In this scenario, how many players would have excelled? There were certainly dynamic players back then who may have flourished in the T20 format.
1.Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev is one of the names that automatically appear in every T20 playing 11s. Kapil Dev is one of cricket’s strongest hitters, and his abilities have been likened to the best the game has ever seen. He would have started the game by bowling one over, then an over in the middle, and one at the end. He would have scored sixes in style, of course
. In 1983, Kapil Dev hit a magnificent 175* against Zimbabwe, with a strike rate of 127, to help India win the match decisively. Kapil Dev is a real icon, having scored over 9000 runs and taken over 650 wickets in 336 international matches. Kapil Dev’s style of play while leading India from the front always had a hint of T20 cricket capabilities. In the 1970s and 1980s, his captaincy and imperial swing bowling would have made him the most important player in T20 cricket.
2.Mohammed Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin in the 1980s and 1990s would’ve surely tried to emulate or even improve what MS Dhoni accomplished in T20 cricket, thanks to his incredible batting and fantastic captaincy. He might have been a nightmare for the bowlers between overs 10 and 20. He had a natural ability to identify gaps, and his footwork against spinners was exceptional. In every game, he would have saved 15 runs at a point or extra cover.
The former skipper had a number of aggressive innings, including the quickest ODI century off 62 balls, which he held for 21 years. Azhar distinguished out with his scorching sprinting between the wickets at a time when fitness was regarded as a non-issue. In his career, Azharuddin has played 334 ODI matches and has scored 9378 runs. He has also played 99 Test matches scoring 6215 runs at an average of 45.04.
3.Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Kris Srikkanth’s batting style was renowned for being explosive and aggressive. Srikkanth would have been one of the most prominent names on the list of potential T20 openers. He was a batsman who was a generation ahead of his time. A show-stealer, a man who drew the people in. In contrast to his initial batting partner and senior Sunil Gavaskar, Srikkanth was known for his aggressive attacking strokes as an opener. In One-Day Internationals, he is the pioneer of pinch-hitting.
Even early in the innings, he was known to take chances, frequently scoring boundaries over the inner ring of fielders. With Ravi Shastri, he has three 100-run ODI partnerships, including the first for India in an ODI. If the IPL had been held in the 1980s, he would very certainly have drawn a large crowd.
