The IPL has seen a total of 13 teams participate in which 11 cities have been represented.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 player's auction is all set to take place on February 18 and 292 players are set to go under the hammer. While these players wait to be picked up by the eight franchises, the teams will be looking to strengthen their already strong core group.
The IPL has seen a total of 13 teams participate including the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, Pune Warriors, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Gujarat Lions, and Rising Pune Supergiant.
In total, 11 cities have been represented in the league and most of the players have had the chance to represent their respective cities. Players like Sachin Tendulkar (MI), Sourav Ganguly (KKR), Rahul Dravid (RCB), and Virender Sehwag (DD) played for their home teams.
The likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Ravichandran Ashwin have also played for their home cities, but there are quite a few stars who are yet to represent their regional teams.
1. Virat Kohli
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Indian skipper Virat Kohli could have been picked by Delhi Daredevils during the draft for U19 players in 2008. The Delhi franchise, however, chose Pradeep Sangwan ahead of Kohli, and it was Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) who made the most of the opportunity.
Kohli has been the highest run-scorer of all time and enjoys a decent lead over 2nd placed Suresh Raina in the IPL. The RCB skipper also has an Orange Cap to his name.
The captain has scored 5878 runs in 192 games at an average of 38.16 and strike at 130.73. He has 39 fifties and 5 centuries and is 2nd only to David Warner in terms of 50+ scores.
2. Harbhajan Singh
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When it comes to IPL, Harbhajan Singh has not missed a single season prior to the last year’s edition. The spinner has played for the likes of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) over his tenure.
Bhajji has picked up 150 wickets in 160 games at a strike rate of 22.49 and he has even bowled the highest number of dot balls in the league's history.
However, for 2021, with his contract with CSK ending, the Punjab lad has listed himself at Rs. 2 crores. Seeing that Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) don't have an off-spinner, there is a chance that he could represent his home team in the 14th season.
3. Dinesh Karthik
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While the IPL has eight franchises, Dinesh Karthik has played for 6 during his career. However, he hasn't managed to play for his local team.
Playing for CSK was going to be a challenge due to the presence of wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni. However, DK, on several occasions has stated he would love to wear CSK's jersey.
DK in the IPL is just behind MSD in terms of dismissals made by a keeper in the IPL. Karthik has scored 3823 runs in 196 games at an average of 26 and has a strike rate of 129.63.
He captained KKR in 2018 and 2019 before he himself gave up his duties midway through the 2020 season and handed the captaincy to Eoin Morgan.
4. Shreyas Iyer
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Since being part of the IPL in 2015, Shreyas Iyer has not played for any team other than the Delhi Capitals (DC). He averages more than 30 in 5 of the 6 seasons he has been a part of. The Mumbai lad has scored 2200 runs in 79 matches at an average of 31.42 and strikes at 126.07.
The 26-year-old is also the highest run-scorer in Delhi Capitals' history as he has 16 half-centuries to his name. He has also been their skipper for 3 seasons and guided them into the playoffs twice and they were in the final in 2020.
The Mumbaikar hasn't had the chance to play for Mumbai Indians (MI), and by the looks of it, it won't materialize in the near future given he is Delhi's captain.
Mumbai Indians did try to get Iyer to their team via trade before the 2016 season. They had even offered 3 players in exchange, but Delhi rejected the proposal.
5. Deepak Chahar
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Deepak Chahar had made his debut in 2016 for Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) but didn't get many opportunities with them.
However, after being bought by CSK in 2018, it changed his fortune as he got plenty of chances and even got into the Indian team. Chahar has 45 wickets in 48 games at a strike rate of 22.22 and has even amazed all as he has bowled 5 maiden overs.
The Rajasthani was part of Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) squad in 2011 and 2012, however, he did not earn any game time.
