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The first round of the T20 World Cup is about to conclude, and it has surely been a great start to the 20-team tournament. There have been many thrillers so far in the competition held in the United States of America and the Caribbean, and fans can’t wait for the Super Eights to begin.

In the group stages, some surprising decisions were certainly made by the team management of many participating nations, as they chose to leave out some of the best players of this generation on the bench. These are players who should have been in the starting XI for all the games but have been warming the bench on most occasions.

Here are the top 5 players who were underutilized by their teams in the T20 World Cup 2024 league stage:

5. Tabraiz Shamsi

Over the past few years, Tabraiz Shamsi has become the premium spinner for South Africa across the white-ball formats and was starting ahead of teammate Keshav Maharaj. His performances prior to the tournament were also splendid, which sparks the discussion on why the leg-spinner is yet to start a game for the nation in the tournament. He might be useful during the Super 8s as most of the pitches might be supporting spinners rather than fast bowlers.

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4. Reece Topley

Reece Topley. (Photo Source: ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images)

After an impressive stint with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, it was anticipated that England would start Reece Topley throughout the tournament in the United States of America and West Indies. But the team management made the bold choice of selecting Chris Jordan, maybe because he provides the right balance to the team due to his batting abilities. Out of the three games for England in this tournament, Topley has played in just one game and was quite economical throughout his spell. The impressive display against Oman surely would have prompted the team management to start the left-arm fast bowler in the upcoming matches.

Also Check: T20 World Cup 2024 Stats

3. Dilshan Madushanka

After a more-than-impressive ODI World Cup 2023, Dilshan Madhushanka had the world at his oyster as he was viewed as the next big bowler from Sri Lanka. However, the team management decided to go with Nuwan Thusara and Mathisha Pathirana as their two front-line seamers. Madushanka missed the whole Indian Premier League 2024 due to an injury, but returned fully fit to make it to the Sri Lankan XI for the tournament. With the Lankan Lions eliminated, they didn’t try Madushanka in the last league stage games against the Dutch as well.

Also Check: 10 Best Current Fast Bowlers in T20 World Cup 2024

2. Shimron Hetmyer

Co-hosts West Indies have made a surprising call of not picking Shimron Hetmyer in the starting XI and have opted for other players instead of him. There is certainly no information provided for his absence from the playing XI, but one of the theories can be that he might be nursing an injury. The southpaw missed a couple of games in the second half of the Indian Premier League 2024 and that can be a reason why he is not starting for the West Indies so far in the tournament. If he is fit, he certainly walks into the line-up considering the kind of role he can play for his team and can be the X factor that the nation desires.

1. Kuldeep Yadav

When the Indian team for the T20 World Cup was announced, everyone figured that Kuldeep Yadav would be the first choice spinner for the nation at the tournament. However, it hasn’t been the case so far, as the leg-spinner is yet to feature in the tournament and has warmed the bench for the Asian giants in their opening three games.

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But there is a good chance that the management might be keeping their prized weapon under wraps for the Super 8s which begin later next week. On pitches that support spin, Yadav would surely be the player to scalp the most wickets for the side in the tournament.