Biggest Flops From All 8 Teams in IPL 2018

With Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals returning after their two year suspension, along with fresh auctions, meant that the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League promised to be an exciting season.

In the auctions, many players swapped teams as the 8 franchises tried to assemble a core team which would help them to win the most coveted trophy.

Many players turned to be an instant hit, while there were many new faces which created an impact and became a huge sensation overnight.

However amidst all these, there are some players, who in previous years had been a big face, but presently they have failed to live up to their expectations and have failed miserably when teams banked on their reputation.

Here is the list of 8 such players from 8 different franchises who have become the biggest flops of the 2018 edition of IPL.

1. Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals)

The English all-rounder was the star player of the previous season, which was also his debut IPL season, as he was bought by Rising Pune Supergiants for a whooping 14.5 crores.

He did justice to his price as he played 12 matches and scored 316 runs, with a strike rate of 142.98, besides taking 12 wickets. He was instrumental as his squad reached the finals, but lost to Mumbai by a solo run.

In the 2018 auctions, he was bagged by Rajasthan Royals for a hefty 12.5 crores. Having played in 6 matches, he has scored just 147 runs and has taken only 1 wicket at an average of 148 and an economy rate of 11.

2. Chris Morris (Delhi Daredevils)

The South-African all-rounder was one of the player who was retained by Delhi Daredevils in the 2018 auction for a price of 15 crore as he was a key player in the previous campaigns of the Daredevils.

He can bat in the lower order when needed and can also bowl in the death overs, making him a player who can single-handedly win a match for his team.

This season has been a poor one for him compared to his previous ones. He has scored just 46 runs in the 4 matches he has played and has taken 3 wickets at an average of 48 and an economy rate of 10.

3. Aaron Finch (Kings XI Punjab)

The Australian is one of the destructive and best openers when it comes to T20 cricket. In the previous seasons of the IPL, he had scored 300+ runs for his franchise.

In this auction he was bagged by Kings XI Punjab. Playing in a team, which has the likes of Chris Gayle, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, it is difficult to get a top order spot.

Moreover his performance has been very pathetic, as he has scored just 24 runs in 6 matches at an average of 6.

4. Manish Pandey (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

He was the first Indian to score a century in the IPL (114 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Deccan Chargers) in 2009.

He became the key player for the Kolkata Knight Riders, when they bought him in the 2014 auctions, and played a brilliant 94 innings knock in the final to hand the Kolkata team their second title.

But he is certainly experiencing a worst season this year with the Sunrisers Hyderabad, having scored just 158 runs in 8 matches with a strike rate of 112.85.

The only memorable innings in this season was against Kings XI Punjab, but that too involved three drop catches. The bright aspect of Pandey’s game this season has only been his fielding.

5. Mitchell Johnson (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Once the most feared bowler in the international circuit has now become one of the most expensive bowlers. KKR had bought him in the 2018 auctions to make him their no. 1 pace bowler, but he has never stood up to the franchise’s expectations.

His impressive performance in the Ashes and his single-handed demolition of the English batsmen has become a pale shadow. The Australian, who once bowled at 140-150 km/hr, has been struggling and now mostly bowls in the 130s.

In the current season, he has picked up only two wickets from 4 matches at an average of 70 and an economy rate of 10.

6. Sarfraz Khan (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

He was one of the three players who was retained by RCB ahead of the likes of KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Yuzvendra Chahal and Shane Watson.

The young and talented cricketer had a brilliant season with RCB in the 2016 season, where he finished off many innings single-handedly for his side.

But this season he has scored only 11 runs from three matches and now finds it difficult to even get a spot in the playing XI.

7. Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians)

The West Indies cricketer has been playing for the Mumbai Indians from 2010, and he is one of the few players who have played entirely for one franchise.

He mainly played as an all-rounder, as he had the ability to pick wickets with the bowl at important times and was pretty destructive in the role of a finisher.

This season he was again retained by Mumbai, but has only been used as a batsman and has not given the opportunity to bowl. With the bat, he has scored just 63 runs in 6 matches at an average of 16 and a strike rate of 110.

8. Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings)

Because of his all-round abilities, the player who has been playing for CSK from 2012, was retained by his team ahead of the likes of Ashwin, McCullum and Du Plessis.

Having been sent ahead of Bravo and Dhoni in multiple occasions, Jadeja has failed to impress with his bat, and has scored 47 runs in 8 matches at an average of 15.

He did not get much opportunity with the ball, because of the excess number of spinners in the team. However his 10 overs of bowling have produced one wicket which is not at all impressive.