The IPL is a spectacle where talent shines, reputations are made, and opportunities are endless… unless you’re Washington Sundar.
Here’s a man who’s done it all — 54 T20Is for India, a Champions Trophy-winning squad member, and someone who features across formats. He’s got a T20I economy rate under 7, a badge of honour in a format built for chaos. And yet, somehow, he’s warming benches in a 10-team IPL.
Let’s get into the numbers. Since the start of 2021, Washington has played 28 T20Is for India, but just 25 IPL games. That stat alone should raise eyebrows. In 2023, he managed only 7 IPL matches. In 2024? Just 2 games so far. And Gujarat Titans benched him for their first three matches this season.
It’s baffling because this guy is the very definition of a utility beast.
In Tests? 25 wickets in 9 matches, with a batting average of 42+. That’s elite all-rounder material.
In ODIs? 24 wickets in 23 games, and a batting average of 23.5 — doing a job with both bat and ball.
So why can’t IPL teams figure out what to do with him?
Now, let’s talk about that recent moment that should’ve silenced all doubt.
Against his former side, SRH, Sundar was included more as a bowling option on a sluggish, black soil pitch. He didn’t bowl a single over. But when GT were struggling at 16/2, Sundar stepped in at No. 4 and smashed 49 off 29 balls at a strike rate of 169.
Talk about flipping the script.
This just proves what many of us have been saying — Washington Sundar is being drastically underused in the IPL.
The real culprit? Possibly the Impact Player rule, which has hurt multi-skilled players like Sundar more than anyone else. When franchises can swap in specialists at will, the value of a true all-rounder suddenly starts to feel redundant.
But make no mistake — Sundar isn’t redundant. He’s reliable, versatile, and criminally overlooked.
In a format obsessed with flair, it’s time teams remembered the value of substance. Because if we keep benching players like Washington Sundar, we’re not just wasting talent — we’re wasting cricketing IQ.
What do you think — is the IPL getting this horribly wrong?
