IPL 2026: Five times replacement players made an impact in the tournament

The IPL 2026 pre-season has been fraught with news of injuries to a number of key players and ambiguity regarding their availability, forcing many teams to name replacements.

While the situation in itself is often seen as a setback, there have been instances where replacement players have exceedede expectations and gone on to become match winners, elevating themselves to a permanent place in the playing XI. Sportstar takes a look at five such times players that came into the IPL as a replacement have made a mark in seasons that have gone by.

Chris Gayle (joined RCB in 2011 as a replacement player for Dirk Nannes)

It’s a surprising fact that West Indian Chris Gayle, one of the all-time IPL greats, announced his entry in the IPL as a replacement player in 2011 when he joined the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for Dirk Nannes.

Gayle had made his debut for the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2009 but his stint with the franchise was below par, only managing to score two half-centuries in two seasons. But once he joined RCB, the rest was history.

The West Indian took the tournament by storm, destroying opposition attacks with ease on his way to winning the Orange Cap that year, scoring 608 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 183.13. Gayle followed up his dream year with a sensational 175 not-out in the 2013 season, the highest individual score in the history of the IPL, a record that still stands today.

Dewald Brevis (joined CSK in 2025 as a replacement player for Gurjapneet Singh)

Dewald Brevis got his second chance in the IPL last season when CSK roped in the South African for the injured Gurjapneet Singh.

Ever since he made his debut, Brevis has been touted to be the next AB de Villiers, because of his six-hitting ability and his 360 degree batting technique. And that’s exactly what the South African did for Chennai Super Kings in the 2025 season, scoring two fifties in six innings at a strike rate of 180.

In a middle order which consisted of Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, and Vijay Shanker- players who failed to score runs quickly, the 22-year-old’s inclusion was a much-needed addition for the Super Kings.

The middle-order batter, now a mainstay in the CSK side, will hope to continue the same form in the 2026 season.

Ayush Mhatre (joined CSK in 2025 as replacement player for Ruturaj Gaikwad)

CSK’s struggles in the 2025 season were rooted in the team’s inability to get quick starts and maintain a high scoring rate- the team had the lowest strike rate in Powerplays amongst all teams, scoring just under eight runs an over.

To make matters worse, the franchise was dealt a huge blow when its captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament with a hairline fracture on his elbow after having played just five games.

Enter Ayush Mhatre, Gaikwad’s replacement. The India U-19 captain proved to be the solution to CSK’s woes in the batting department, playing a fearless brand of cricket and providing quick starts for the Men in Yellow more often than not, with the highlight being his 94 against RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Acquiring Mhatre, a youngster with little experience playing in the big leagues, was perhaps the first sign that CSK was on the verge of embarking on a philosophical change- backing youth over experience.

Phil Salt (joined KKR in 2024 as a replacement player for Jason Roy)

Phil Salt described going unsold at the 2024 IPL auction as “confusing”. It was a fair comment by the Englishmen, considering he was in imperious form in the lead-up to the season that year and he had made a strong impression for the Delhi Capitals in 2023.

But an injury to Jason Roy meant Salt got his chance to demonstrate what he is made of for KKR in the 2024 season. And Salt not only delivered, but he also forged a successful opening partnership with Sunil Narine at the top of the order that helped KKR win the trophy in 2024.

The opening batter scored 435 runs from 12 matches at an explosive strike rate of 182.01. Salt, who became a hot commodity after that season, subsequently moved to RCB in 2025. The side-effect of Salt’s absence on KKR’s fortunes were far-reaching.

KKR’s top order struggled to replicate what Salt was able to do opening the batting, while Salt, playing in RCB colours, continued from where he left off with KKR, helping RCB to its maiden title in 2025.

Rajat Patidar (joined RCB in 2022 as a replacement player for Luvnith Sisodia)

Rajat Patidar established himself as a cricketer with a bright future when RCB named him as a replacement for Luvnith Sisodia.

That decision will go down as one of the best calls the RCB management has ever made, because Patidar as captain managed to achieve something his predecessors couldn’t- win RCB its first IPL trophy.

The 32-year-old scored an unbeaten 112 of 54 balls against Lucknow Super Giant in the Eliminator in 2022 to become the first uncapped player to score a century in the IPL playoffs.

Patidar, with that innings, cemented his place in the RCB playing XI and eventually earned the captaincy role after Faf du Plessis was let go by the franchise after 2024. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Published on Mar 28, 2026