Follow UsWhen a league like the Indian Premier League (IPL) is held every year, breaks and interjections due to forces beyond one’s control are natural
Earlier, when the IPL didn’t have a dedicated window with almost no international cricket, many countries used to schedule international bilateral series around that time. The injury replacements also kick in every year after being slotted into the side.
In the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), it is the escalation of military tensions between India and Pakistan following India’s retaliation in response to the Pahalgam attack has forced teams to sign new replacements for the remainder of the season.
Let’s see three such replacement players who led their team to the title:
Australia’s big left-arm pacer Doug Bollinger was signed up by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2010 IPL after New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram couldn’t participate due to an injury. However, Bollinger could only join in the latter half of the season.
Until Bollinger arrived, CSK had won only three of their eight games that season. However, his arrival ensured they had a solid pace bowler in their line-up, and he proved his worth through the games he played.
His 4/13 in the semi-final against Deccan Chargers helped CSK reach the final and ultimately win the trophy. He took 12 wickets in the season and was the lynchpin of their march to victory.
Pattinson’s Test career has been a tale of what ifs, but do you know how crucial he was for Mumbai Indians in the 2020 season of the IPL?
Pattinson joined Mumbai after Lasith Malinga decided to opt out of the tournament for personal reasons. The 2020 season was being held in the UAE due to the COVID Pandemic, and Pattinson rose from the backseat to be one of the vital cogs of Mumbai’s bowling attack.
He picked 11 wickets in the 10 games he played at an average of 29.09 and was a regular wicket-taker with a strike rate of just 19.36 that season. Mumbai’s bowling attack was a sight to behold that season, and Pattinson was right at the centre of their trophy-winning campaign.
Salt came in as a replacement for permanent IPL absentee Jason Roy, who had opted out of the 2024 season. The English swashbuckling opener played 12 games that season, and scored 435 runs for Kolkata Knight Riders at the top of the order at a mind-blowing strike rate of 182 and an average of nearly 40.
In a season where big scoring was the norm, he gave fiery starts to KKR, with 296 out of his 435 runs coming in the powerplay itself. KKR not only finished at the top of the group stages, but such brilliant starts from Salt helped them lift the IPL trophy for the third time.