MS Dhoni's Ex-Trump Card And..? 3 IPL Legends Ignored By BCCI For India

Abhinav Tyagi

Ambati Rayudu - (Source:@Johns/X.com)Ambati Rayudu - (Source:@Johns/X.com)

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The preparations for IPL 2025 are in full swing. The cash-studded league is likely to get an extended window for the upcoming season. Over the years, the IPL has become the biggest platform for youngsters to shine and make a name for themselves.

In the last few years, the IPL has also acted as a trial ground for the youngsters, and they have received India cap based on IPL selection, as seen for Nitish Reddy recently. However, the same is not for everybody. Several players have performed year in and out in the cash-studded league but were still ignored by the BCCI and not given a longer rope. 

This article will shed light on three IPL legends who were ignored by the BCCI. 

1. Sandeep Sharma

The first name that comes to mind is Rajasthan Royals' seamer Sandeep Sharma. The right-arm seamer has been a consistent performer in the IPL, but he has not been given enough chances to prove his worth in the Indian team.

Notably, Sandeep made his IPL debut in 2013 and made an instant impact with the ball. In his debut season, he took eight wickets and impressed the critics. Sharma's breakout season was in 2014 when he took 18 wickets. 

Sharma's excellent run in the IPL earned him India's debut in 2015, but only got two matches against Zimbabwe, where he took a solitary wicket. Following IPL 2015, Sharma continued to perform in a similar manner, but couldn't find a place in the Indian team. 

It is worth noting that he also took 13 wickets in IPL 2024 and was retained by RR for 4 crores. He has 137 wickets in 127 matches and it is a shame that he didn't feature in more games for Men in Blue.

2. Ambati Rayudu

Rayudu will go down in history as one of the legendary cricketers to grace the IPL. Rayudu, who has shone for MI and CSK, did not get enough games in the T20I format for India. 

Ambati, who is the most decorated player in history with six IPL titles, has featured in just six T20Is for India. The Indian selectors ignored Rayudu's performance over the years and has 4332 runs, which features a century and 22 fifties. 

Rayudu got a few opportunities in ODIs, but there too he was always behind in the pecking order as seen during the 2019 World Cup selection where Vijay Shankar was preferred over him. 

3. Mohit Sharma

The 36-year-old made his IPL debut in 2013 for CSK. He soon became the side's spearhead bowler. Sharma stormed into the scene in IPL as he won the purple cap in his second season with CSK. 

It earned him an India call-up, but sadly he featured in just 4 T20Is. Since then, his performance dipped in IPL, but he continues to be a star performer in the league and deserves more matches for the Indian team.