IPL: 5 worst ever signings in the history of the tournament

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a great platform for cricketers to prove their mettle. It provides the opportunity for a player to express himself on the big stage. Many cricketers have found some great success playing the IPL. The Indian Premier League has changed the way cricket is viewed around the world. It brought in many new dimensions into the game and was a huge revolution.

In fact, a few of the overseas cricketer first played the IPL before they played international cricket. The IPL always carries a hype around it and rewards the top performers from across the world. These performers attract the franchises a lot during the auction and there are huge bucks shelled out for them. While a few of these players reach the expectations, many succumb to the pressure of performing well.

Here are the worst signings in the history of IPL

1. Yuvraj Singh | INR 16 Crores | Delhi Daredevils | IPL 2015

Yuvraj Singh grabbed all the headlines when Delhi Daredevils spent INR 16 crores to buy him in the auction. This was the highest ever spent on a player back then. RCB, who bought him for INR 14 crores in 2014 was involved in a fierce bidding war against the Delhi Daredevils. However, they would be glad that they didn’t shell out as much as Yuvi as that season was truly a disaster for him. He couldn’t get going either with the bat or the ball. That ended as one of his worst seasons ever and also the worst signing ever in the IPL.

Yuvraj just averaged around 19 with the bat as he scored 248 runs of 14 games that season. His highest score in that season was 57 which meant he scored only 191 runs from the remaining 13 games. Furthermore, his strike rate took a dip in that season and it was around 118 back then. With the ball, he only picked one wicket in the entire season. In the nine overs that he bowled, he conceded 72 runs at an economy rate of 8 an over.

2. Tymal Mills | INR 12 Crores | Royal Challengers Bangalore | IPL 2017

This was probably the second worst buy for RCB after they bought Yuvraj for INR 14 crores in 2014. Tymal Mills came into the limelight when he played the 3-match T20I series against India early in 2017. Although he was expensive back then, he bowled brilliantly at the death. He picked the priced scalps of Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya and Yuvraj Singh in that series in the three games that were played. Furthermore, he bowled a superb slower ball whose pace went down to nearly 100kmph while his stock delivery was around 140kmph foxing the batsmen.

This skill is highly useful in T20s where the batsmen look to hit every ball out of the park. Hence, there was a lot of demand for him at the auction with RCB bagging the deal at INR 12 crore. However, this turned out to be a nightmare for the franchise and he had to be benched early in the season. Mills played five games picking five wickets at an economy over 8.5 and average close to 30.

3. Pawan Negi | INR 8.5 Crores | Delhi Daredevils | IPL 2016

Pawan Negi had a decently good season in 2015 with the Chennai Super Kings. He was brilliant with the bat coming in lower down the order. He scored at a strike rate of 159 in 2015 and fared decently well with the bat. Also, he was picked for the WT20 squad in 2016 that was played before the IPL. These factors interested a lot of franchises to bid for him as CSK was not a part of IPL 2016 and he was back in the player pool.

DD bought him at a hefty price of INR 8.5 crores which turned out to be another disaster for them. Negi played 8 games in that season scoring 57 runs with the bat at a strike rate under 100. Furthermore, he failed with the ball as well. Negi only picked one wicket in those 8 games at an average of 84 and economy rate over 9.

4. Mashrafe Mortaza | $600,000 | Kolkata Knight Riders | IPL 2009

Mashrafe was the much-hyped player back in 2009. The Kolkata Knight Riders gave him a hefty pay cheque to acquire his services for the season. Mortaza is a decent all-rounder and is known for his skill with the ball more than his batting prowess. However, he can also hit the ball a long way and is quite handy. Mortaza became one of the highest paid Bangladeshi cricketers back then. But, his happiness didn’t last long.

Mortaza had a terrible outing right in his debut game for the KKR. His first game ended out to be his last game as he failed both with the bat and the ball. He got out after scoring 2 runs with the bat. With the ball, his performance was even worse. He conceded 58 runs in his four overs and had no wicket against his name. That looked to be KKR’s game as Deccan Chargers had to hit 21 runs in the last over to win. Even in the current times, this is a tough chase. However, Mortaza, who bowled the last over couldn’t defend making him one of the worst signings of the IPL.

5. Mohammad Asif | $650,000 | Delhi Daredevils | IPL 2008

Mohammad Asif is one of the few Pakistani cricketers to have played in the IPL back in 2008. He is a highly talented fast bowler and hurries up the batsmen with his pace. However, he was involved in many off-field controversies throughout his career. He was purchased by the Delhi Daredevils in 2008 for a mammoth price of $650,000 dollars. But he proved to be of little worth for the money paid.

He played 8 games in the inaugural season of the IPL. In the 32 overs that he bowled in that season, he conceded 296 runs at an economy rate over 9. He only managed to pick 8 wickets that season before he was benched. Also, the average was on the higher side at 37.