The IPL is the biggest T20 league in the world. Millions of fans watch it, billions of dollars are spent on it, and the best players from every country come to play in it. But here’s the thing: just because you’re great at international cricket doesn’t mean you’ll be great in the IPL. A lot of the biggest names in world cricket have come into the IPL, played a few games, and then left without making a big deal out of it. Let’s talk about five of these players.
1. Dawid Malan
Dawid Malan used to have the highest ICC T20I batting rating ever, 915. On paper, the man was the best T20 batter in the world. In 2020, he was one of the best run-scorers in T20Is. His unbeaten 99 against South Africa helped England get to the top of the T20I rankings. But when he got his IPL chance with the Punjab Kings in 2021, he only played one game and scored 26 runs. That was all. He was gone after one game. The IPL pitches, the stress, and the speed of the tournament made it a whole different world from international cricket.
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2. Aaron Finch
Aaron Finch is one of the best T20 openers Australia has ever had. In August 2013, he set a record for the most runs scored by a single player in T20 Internationals, with an amazing 156 runs off just 63 balls against England. He also helped Australia win their first T20 World Cup. But the IPL? That’s a whole other story. Finch played for more IPL teams than any other player, but he never really fit in with any of them. He played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022, but he only got one fifty in five games and was dropped from the starting eleven. He just never got into the IPL.
3. Joe Root
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Joe Root is arguably the greatest Test batter of his generation. He is currently the second highest run-scorer of all time in Test cricket and England’s highest run-scorer ever. He is part of cricket’s famous “Fab Four” alongside Kohli, Smith, and Williamson. But in the IPL, Root was practically invisible. He went unsold in the 2018 IPL auction, and when he finally got picked by Rajasthan Royals in 2023 for his base price, he played three matches and managed just 10 runs in the one innings he got to bat. The IPL format demands instant aggression from ball one something that doesn’t quite suit Root’s patient, classical style.
4. Martin Guptill
Martin Guptill was a nightmare for bowlers in ODIs and T20Is for New Zealand. He ended his career as New Zealand’s top run-scorer in T20Is by a wide margin. In the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup, he also scored a double century. He played for Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. But despite all his T20 experience around the world, the IPL never truly saw the best of him. Guptill remained unsold in the 2022 IPL mega auction a shocking moment for someone of his stature in world T20 cricket.
5. Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan changed English cricket forever. He led England to lift the ODI World Cup for the first time at Lord’s in July 2019, transforming an entire team’s culture with his fearless approach. Yet his IPL journey was always underwhelming. He was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2010 for $220,000, but failed to make an impression and was soon left on the bench. Like Finch and Guptill, Morgan also went unsold in the 2022 IPL mega auction a remarkable fate for someone who captained the No. 1 ODI team in the world.
Also Read: IPL 2026 Youngest Players: 5 Rising Stars Set To Dominate
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