Underperforming XI of all-time in IPL

Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most celebrated T20 leagues across the globe and boasts of having the services of the finest cricket players from all over the world. It provides a platform for all the players, whether experienced or young, to showcase their talent and introduce themselves to the cricket fraternity. However, there have been some legends who have loads of talent in them courtesy of which they are always in limelight.

The IPL franchises had high hopes from such players to deliver in tough situations and help their respective teams win the coveted T20 title. But a handful of players, who have stunning numbers under their belt in the international circuit, have failed to replicate the same performance in IPL and emerged as the biggest disappointments for their teams.

In this article, let’s takes a look at the IPL underperforming XI of all time:

1. Aaron Finch

Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch is no less than a live wire on the field. The opening batsman has produced a lot of stunning knocks from his willow while donning the Yellow jersey in the international circuit and is known as one of the most destructive batsmen especially in the shortest format of the game.

In 66 T20 Internationals, the right-hander has a whopping 2149 runs under his belt at an average of 37.7 and an amazing strike rate of 154.1. However, the batsman has failed to replicate the same performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His journey in IPL began in 2010 and since then he has represented almost all IPL franchises.

Finch hasn’t been able to cement his place in any of the franchise over the years as in 87 IPL games, he has scored just 2005 runs at an average of 25.7 and strike rate of 127.7. The batsman is yet to score a hundred in the T20 Championship while he has 14 half-centuries to his name.

2. Sourav Ganguly (C)

Known for transforming India to a side that could dominate any team anywhere in the world, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly couldn’t weave the same magic in the Indian Premier League. He featured in 59 IPL matches while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Pune Warriors from 2008 to 2012 but could score only 1,349 runs at an average of 25.4 and strike rate of 106.8.

Ganguly’s journey in the T20 Extravaganza started with the Knight Riders as he was named as the captain of the side in the 2008 edition. However, this move didn’t reap good results for KKR as they finished at 6th place on the points table in the inaugural edition. Thus, he was sacked as a captain in the next edition but again donned the leader’s hat in the 2010 edition.

However, KKR failed to perform and Sourav’s stint with the team ended in 2010 after which he embraced the now-defunct franchise Pune Warriors for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. A series of two poor seasons with the Warriors resulted in Ganguly stepping down as a captain and batsman in IPL.

3. Ricky Ponting

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting was one of the most celebrated batsmen of his time. The cricketer had all the ingredients of ruling world cricket and went on to become the most successful captain in the history of the game. However, his own performance in the IPL clearly stated that the batsman was past his prime.

Ponting represented teams like Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian league but featured in only 10 games scoring 91 runs at an average of 10.1. He was also appointed as the leader of the Mumbai camp in 2013 but after a disappointing start, Ponting decided to hang his boots and handed over the responsibility of leading the team to a young Rohit Sharma.

Though Ponting couldn’t make a name for himself in IPL as a batsman or captain, he is doing wonders as a coach. After his retirement, he got associated with Mumbai as their coach as MI’s success story is known to all. This was followed by Ricky joining Delhi Capitals and the team has been doing well thus far.

4. Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh is hailed as one of the best all-rounders India has ever produced. The swashbuckling player is renowned for his grit and determination and was the wrecker-in-chief for India as they clinched the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup. Since his debut in 2000 against Kenya, Yuvraj smashed 8,701 and 1,177 runs in 304 ODIs and 58 T20Is respectively.

The spinner also picked 111 ODI and 28 T20I scalps. After such jaw-dropping performances on the big stage, the IPL franchises had a lot of hopes from Yuvraj and over the years spent hefty amounts to include him in their teams. However, the southpaw emerged as one of the biggest disappointments of all time in the T20 Championship.

The all-rounder started his IPL career with Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and later moved on to represent Pune Warriors, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Mumbai Indians. He could garner only 2750 runs in 132 IPL matches with an average of 24.77 and a strike rate of 129.71. He also picked 36 wickets with an average of 29.91 and an economy of 7.43.

5. Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz Khan had a crackling debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the 2015 edition for the franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The 19-year-old right-handed batsman carved a niche for himself as a competent finisher who was capable of playing some beautiful shots lower down the batting order.

The 8th and 9th seasons of the IPL saw Sarfaraz compile 177 runs from 17 matches at a phenomenal strike-rate of 173.52. He was being considered as the future of Indian cricket but from the 2018 edition, the downfall of Sarfaraz Khan began. In 2018, he couldn’t live up to his reputation and amassed a mere 51 runs from 7 innings.

This resulted in the batsman getting released by RCB but he was roped in by the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for the 2019 edition. However, the poor form of the young lad continues as in 38 IPL matches he has just 441 runs to his name at a mere average of 25.9 and strike rate of 140.

6. Naman Ojha (WK)

The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha belongs to the league of players who boasts of having some phenomenal records to their names in the domestic circuit. A lot was expected out of the batsman on the international stage and IPL too but he failed to grab the opportunities provided to him with both hands.

The Ujjain-born has been excellent in the domestic circuit both with the gloves and bat. In 143 List A matches and 183 T20 games, he has amassed 4,278 and 2,973 runs respectively at an average of 32.7 and 20.9. The 37-year-old made his International debut in 2010 but could never flourish in his career.

His journey in IPL had commenced with Rajasthan Royals in the 2009 edition but he could never justify his place in the Playing XI. He also plied his trade for teams like Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 133 IPL fixtures, the batsman has aggregated only 1,554 runs at a poor strike rate of 118.3. He has also affected 65 catches, 5 run-outs, and 10 stumpings.

7. Glenn Maxwell

Australia’s swashbuckling all-rounder Glenn Maxwell adds a lot of value to his international team especially in the shortest format of the game. The batsman is renowned as one of the most successful and destructive finishers in the international circuit. In 67 T20I matches, Maxwell has hammered 1687 runs at an average of 33.1 and strike rate of 157.9.

However, over the years, the all-rounder has failed to live up to his name in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Maxwell could never justify his hefty paycheques in the cash-rich league as he could score only 1505 runs in 82 IPL games at a mere average of 22.1. As far as bowling is concerned, he has scalped only 19 wickets in IPL at an average of 41.

The 32-year-old delivered one of the worst performances in IPL 2020 for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). Playing in 13 games, he could score only 108 wickets and picked just 3 wickets. Despite being one of the best power-hitters of modern cricket, Glenn Maxwell failed to hit a single maximum throughout the 2020 edition of the T20 Championship.

8. Pravin Tambe

Pravin Tambe had shot to fame during the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he made his debut at the age of 41 for IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR). The leg-break bowler had a wonderful start in the T20 Championship and hogged all the limelight in 2014 by picking up the first hat-trick of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

However, after that, Tambe’s form started depleting and he slowly fizzled away from the memory of the cricket fans. The spinner last featured in the Indian Premier League as a player in 2016 for Gujarat Lions. Tambe has played 33 IPL matches picking up 28 wickets with an average of 30.5.

He was one of the oldest signings of IPL 2020 as he was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a  meagre price of INR 20 lakhs in the auction. However, the player couldn’t feature in the tournament and joined the KKR contingent as a coach, thus putting an end to his career in the Indian league.

9. Tim Southee

New Zealand’s pace mainstay Tim Southee is one of the best in business across all the formats of the game. The right-arm seamer has proved his worth on the big stage by scalping a whopping 302 wickets in 77 Test matches along with 190 and 87 scalps in 143 ODIs and 75 T20Is at an economy rate of 5.46 and 8.42 respectively.

However, the bowler could never make a mark for himself in the Indian Premier League. It was in 2011 that he made his IPL debut with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) before playing for Rajasthan Royals in 2014 and 2015. He was with Mumbai Indians (MI) for a couple of seasons and was then bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2018.

In 40 IPL matches, Southee could pick only 28 scalps at a poor economy rate of 8.73 and an average of 25.9. His below-par performance has resulted in him going unsold in IPL auctions for continuously two seasons in 2019 and 2020.

10. Jaydev Unadkat

The left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat had burst into the scene in the international circuit after a phenomenal bowling display in the 2010 U19 World Cup. He was added to the Indian squad for a Test game against South Africa in December 2010 but the seamer failed to pick any wicket and was expensive with the ball. Thus, he was axed from the side.

Something similar happened in Indian Premier League (IPL) too as he constantly delivered disappointing performances. The 2017 edition for a standout year for the Gujarat-born as impressed as a bowler who could swing the new ball. This resulted in him getting picked by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for a staggering amount in IPL 2018 auction. However, Unadkat soon returned to his old ways and couldn’t keep a check on the economy rate.

Unadkat has featured in 80 IPL games scalping 81 wickets at a below-par economy of 8.83 and an average of 29.9. This has resulted in Jaydev not cementing a permanent place getting in and out of Rajasthan’s Playing XI in recent years.

11. Ashoke Dinda

While talking about the underperformers in IPL of all time, one can never forget the name of India’s former right-arm quick Ashok Dinda. Since 2017, Dinda has been subjected to constant hate and trolling on social media for being hammered by Hardik Pandya for 6, 6, 6, 4, 6, wd (run-out), 1 while playing for Rising Pune Supergiant in IPL 2017 against Mumbai Indians.

In the IPL, he represented teams like Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Royal Challengers Bangalore, and the now-defunct Pune Warriors and Rising Pune Supergiant. He played 78 IPL matches across 10 editions and picked up 68 wickets at an economy rate of 8.20.

Dinda is Bengal’s second most successful bowler after Utpal Chatterjee, with 420 first-class wickets in just 116 fixtures. The pacer also boasts of having 151 and 146 scalps in 98 List-A games and 144 T20s, respectively. However, he could never replicate the same performance in the T20 Championship.