IPL 2022: Flop XI from the league stages

IPL 2022 has seen special individual performances from some of the biggest names in world cricket. Majestic batting performances from the likes of Jos Buttler and KL Rahul to magical bowling efforts from the likes of Hasaranga and Chahal. And not to forget the unsettling pace bowling by Umran Malik and Kagiso Rabada. But when it comes to the IPL, you have to take the bad with the good. There have been forgettable performances from the players who were expected to excel for their respective franchises. The numbers make for grim reading, and the display on the pitch was somehow even worse. As the group stages is done and dusted, we look at some of the biggest underperformers of IPL 2022. 1. Venkatesh Iyer Venkatesh Iyer (Photo Source: Twitter) Venkatesh Iyer was one of the breakout stars of IPL 2021. The left-hander joined KKR later in the season last year and handing him the opening role proved to be a masterstroke by the KKR management. Buoyed by the southpaw’s performances, the Kolkata side reached the final. The all-rounder scored 370 runs in his ten innings at an impressive average of 41, including a half-century in the final in a losing cause. On the back of his impressive outing in IPL 2021, the leftie got called up for the Indian squad. The KKR man looked decent for the Blues in the T20s with his all-around abilities. One of the four retained players by KKR, the Madhya Pradesh man, has looked like a shadow of the man from last year’s tournament. He has just a solitary half-century to his name this season, and his form even saw him dropped from the playing XI. Although he was recalled to the playing XI, the southpaw has overall been poor with his performances. 2. Kane Williamson (c) Kane Williamson. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Kane Williamson came in IPL 2022 after a prolonged injury layoff. The Kiwi skipper had missed the first half of IPL 2021 with an injury and his misfortune continued as he struggled with the elbow injury for over 15 months. Williamson had a decent outing in IPL 2021 as the Kiwi scored 266 runs in 10 innings for the Sunrisers. When Sunrisers retained the Blackcaps skipper, they would have thought they would get to see the same player that put Mitchell Starc to the sword in the 2021 T20 World Cup final. But they were left sweating on another injury concern to the right-hander. Although Williamson recovered just in time for the IPL 2022, the Kiwi’s tournament couldn’t have been any worse as he struggled for runs. One of the most attractive players to watch when on song, Williamson managed just 216 runs, scoring at a strike rate of below 100. His stay at the crease has been a painful watch as he looked like a fish out of water. 3. Mayank Agarwal Mayank Agarwal. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Mayank Agarwal was handed the captaincy role for PBKS this season after the departure of KL Rahul. The right-hander scored 400+ runs in consecutive IPL seasons before being retained by Punjab ahead of the auctions. He has also been solid for the Indian team in red-ball cricket. The right-hander has struggled for runs this year as he scored 195 runs in 12 games with just one-half century to his name. Mayank’s form was also affected under pressure, as this was his first time leading a team in a major tournament. His performance has also resulted in an average season for his franchise. The Karnataka man even changed his position to accommodate the likes of Jhonny Bairstow at the top of the order but has been unable to make a lasting impact with the bat in the middle overs. 4. Ambati Rayudu Ambati Rayudu. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Ambati Rayudu has been one of the most dependable middle-order batters in IPL history. Rayudu has won a record five IPL trophies (3 with Mumbai and 2 with Chennai). The former Mumbai man won consecutive IPL trophies with two different teams,2017 (MI) and 2018( CSK). He recently became the 10th Indian batter to reach the milestone of 4,000 runs in the Indian Premier League. Interestingly, Rayudu wasn’t among the four players retained by CSK ahead of IPL 2022 auction. However, the four-time IPL winners placed a successful bid of Rs 6.75 crore for the veteran batter to sign him back. But his performance dipped considerably this year in a disappointing season for the yellow army. Rayudu failed to breach the 300-run mark in consecutive seasons for the first time in his decade-long IPL career. Overall, the veteran scored 274 runs in 13 matches with a single half-century against his name. 5. Ravindra Jadeja Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) One of the most sought-after all-rounders going around, Ravindra Jadeja was retained by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the auctions for INR 16 Cr. Jadeja, who had a successful season with CSK as they clinched the title in 2021, was quite influential with his performances. Jadeja scored 227 runs with the bat as he donned the role of finisher for CSK, and picked up 13 wickets with the ball as well. The left-arm orthodox was in sensational form in red-ball cricket before the IPL. Jadeja broke the 35-year-old record of Kapil Dev by scoring 175 against Sri Lanka. With his experience and expertise, the management decided to give him the captaincy role in IPL 2022. But the pressure of captaining the 4-time champions took a heavy toll on him as he struggled for form. He eventually decided to relinquish the captaincy role to MS Dhoni as CSK had a miserable run under the Saurashtra man. 6. Kieron Pollard Kieron Pollard. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) A powerful striker of a cricket ball, Kieron Pollard has been a part of the Mumbai franchise since 2010. He was retained by the Mumbai side because of his all-around abilities. One of the finest athletes in the game even with his tall frame, Pollard has knocked the daylights off bowlers regularly. Last year, Pollard scored 245 runs at a strike rate of 148.48. His best innings came against CSK, wherein he scored a sensational 87* off 34, which paved way for the team’s thrilling victory. However, the former West Indies captain has struggled for form this season and has failed to finish off games in his trademark style. Pollard has scored 144 runs at a lowly strike rate of 108. Mumbai Indians eventually dropped the all-rounder in the favor of young talents. 7. Matthew Wade (wk) Matthew Wade. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Matthew Wade blazed his way to an unbeaten 17-ball 41 effort to play a pivotal role in Australia’s dramatic five-wicket victory against Pakistan in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2021, a tournament they eventually won. The Australian wicket-keeper was snapped up by Gujarat Titans in the auctions for INR 2.40 Cr, on the back of his impressive showing for the Australian side. The 34-year-old has struggled for runs this season as he has scored a meager 114 runs in eight outings. Luckily his form hasn’t cost the Gujarat Titans much as they were the first side to qualify for the playoffs. And to compound the southpaw’s misery, he was reprimanded for breaching the IPL code of conduct during their game against RCB. The batter was livid after being controversially adjudged LBW. The Australian was angry while going back into the dugout and took out his frustrations in the dressing room too. 8. Washington Sundar Washington Sundar. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) One of the most exciting talents to emerge from the Indian domestic circuit, Sundar is a skillful left-handed middle-order batter and an off-spinning all-rounder. He made his debut for India in the ODI series against Sri Lanka in December 2017. He made his Test debut in 2021 and was a part of the memorable Test victory against Australia in Brisbane. The all-rounder was snapped up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 8.75 crore in the IPL 2022 auctions in a bid to add strengthen their lower order after the departure of Rashid Khan. But he has been disappointing, to say the least. The Tamil Nadu man who has 3 test half-centuries to his name has struggled throughout the tournament for the Orange army. His exploits with the ball have also been below par as he has picked up just five wickets in eight games going over eight runs per over. 9. Pat Cummins Pat Cummins. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Pat Cummins is regarded as one of the finest pacers of this generation. The top-ranked Test bowler has been sensational for the Aussies over the last few years. He was entrusted to lead the Test squad due to his performance with the ball. The fiery pacer has 197 wickets to his name in just 41 matches in red-ball cricket. Cummins joined the KKR side a bit later than usual due to his duties with the national team. And although he was expensive with the ball, he set ablaze IPL 2022 with his mindblowing 15-ball 56 that included six maximums and four boundaries against the five-time champs Mumbai Indians. But the experienced pacer’s output with the ball has been horrendous as he has managed seven wickets in five games, going well over ten runs per over. His failure with the ball compounded KKR’s below-par season as the 2021 runner-ups failed to qualify for the playoffs. 10. Mohammed Siraj Mohammed Siraj (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Playing in the IPL is the crowning achievement for many players as it helps them improve their game for the national side. But for Siraj, it was the opposite. His performance with the red ball was a surprise to many as the pacer struggled in IPL. On the back of a successful Test series debut down under, the pacer was a much-improved entity in IPL 2021. His powerplay bowling was much-improved as he consistently hit the hard length and troubled the batters with his pace. He ended up with 11 wickets in the tournament going under seven runs per over, an impressive feat for a fast bowler. Mohammed Siraj expressed his gratitude when the Bangalore franchise retained him in the IPL auctions. But, the pacer has failed to deliver on his promises as he has bagged just eight wickets this year and has been quite expensive, going over nine runs per over. His bowling in the powerplay has lacked venom and has been erratic in the death overs. 11. Varun Chakravarthy Varun Chakaravarthy. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery spinner, picked up 18 wickets in 17 appearances in IPL 2021. His performance played a crucial role for KKR, as the two-time winners reached the final of the tournament. Batters struggled to pick his variations as the leggie made merry with the ball. Chakravarthy was one of the KKR’s four retained players ahead of IPL 2022 mega auction. But he had a below-par start to the tournament and was eventually dropped from the squad after a string of poor performances with the ball. The 30-year-old bowler was eventually brought back into the line-up. After the comeback, he has been economical but has struggled to take wickets. In 11 matches of IPL 2022, he has six scalps to his name at an economy of 8.51.