It’s not often that a replacement player becomes the backbone of your side. Yes, there have been Chris Gayles or Matheesha Pathiranas in the past but only two in 16 years. It was a shock to many when the England wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt went unsold at the IPL 2024 auction, especially days after he had hit two back-to-back centuries against the West Indies. However, it was expected that he would find a team as a replacement player given IPL is such a long tournament and with the cricket schedule getting so gruelling, injuries and pull-outs have become the name of the game.
