The IPL has been India’s grand audition stage, a ruthless, star-studded platform where players either rise to fame overnight or fade despite brilliance. Over the years, several players have caught the imagination of fans with consistent performances for their franchises. They’ve delivered under pressure, excelled in clutch moments, and at times even outperformed national team regulars. Yet, for reasons ranging from timing and team balance to selection dynamics, these players were either ignored or given mere fleeting chances in India’s T20I squad.
Here’s a look at five such IPL stalwarts who deserved a longer, more consistent run in India’s T20 setup but never quite got it.
5. Suryakumar Yadav (Pre-2021)
- IPL Teams: KKR, MI
- Role: Middle-order batter
- Best IPL Season (pre-debut): 2020 – 480 runs @ Strike Rate 145.01
- India T20I Debut: 2021 (aged 30)
Although now a T20I superstar, it’s worth remembering that Surya had to toil in IPL shadows for nearly a decade before finally making his India debut in 2021. From 2018 to 2020, he was and he is MI’s Mr. Reliable, often outshining bigger names, yet India stuck with others. He’s the poster boy for “delayed selection” and perhaps a cautionary tale of talent that was almost overlooked.
4. Harshal Patel
- IPL Teams: RCB, DC, PBKS
- Role: Death-over specialist bowler
- Best IPL Season: 2021 – 32 wickets (Purple Cap)
- India T20I Caps: 25 matches | 29 wickets | Economy 9.18
Harshal did get a chunk of T20Is post his stellar 2021 IPL, but unlike the rope given to other pacers, he was quickly sidelined after a dip in form. His slower balls, yorkers, and game intelligence made him a T20 asset, yet India never persisted with him through a lean patch. For a player who topped the IPL bowling charts and won games at the death, a longer run seemed warranted.
3. Nitish Rana
- IPL Teams: Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders
- Role: Top-order left-hander, part-time off-spinner
- Best IPL Season: 2021 – 383 runs @ Strike Rate of 121
- India T20I Caps: 1 match | 7 runs
A domestic and IPL heavyweight for KKR, Rana has consistently churned out 300+ run seasons. He has the rare combination of being a left-hander and capable of bowling off-spin, a dream profile for T20 teams. Yet, Rana got just one T20I cap on a second-string tour of Sri Lanka in 2021 and was discarded thereafter without a proper run.
2. Manish Pandey
- IPL Teams: KKR, SRH, RCB, LSG, DC
- Role: Middle-order batter
- Best IPL Season: 2014 – 401 runs & Final-winning knock for Kolkata Knight Riders
- India T20I Caps: 39 matches | 709 runs @ 44.31 avg, 126.15 SR
Though Pandey technically played 39 T20Is, he was in and out of the XI, never quite given a fixed role. His consistent IPL run between 2014–2020, where he was a go-to No. 3 or 4 for franchises, never translated into him becoming a T20I mainstay. The classic case of a player being picked too late and dropped too soon.
1. Rahul Tewatia
- IPL Teams: Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Titans
- Role: Batting all-rounder (Finisher + Leg-spin)
- Best IPL Season: 2022 – 217 runs @ Strike Rate of 147.62, 5 wickets
- India T20I Caps: 0
Tewatia has repeatedly shown nerves of steel in IPL chases, most notably his 5-sixes-in-an-over blitz vs Sheldon Cottrell in 2020. A finisher who could bowl handy leg-spin, Tewatia was even selected in the Indian T20I squad for England in 2021 but never made the XI. In a country struggling to find consistent finishers post-MS Dhoni, Tewatia’s absence from the T20I scheme is baffling.
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