5 underperformed players in IPL 2018 who might go unsold in the auction next year

The eleventh season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is nearing its end. While Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have already made it to the final, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will fight it out in the second qualifier. The franchises had revamped the look of their teams in the mega-auction this year while retaining some of the players from their previous set-up. While Ben Stokes was the most expensive player of the auction, Jaydev Unadkat was the top buy as far as the Indian players were concerned.

As the action unfurled over the last 6 weeks in the cash-rich T20 tournament, many cricketers failed to live up to the expectations which affected the performance of their side. Some of the uncapped players like Krishnappa Gowtham, Prithvi Shaw certainly lit up the stage with their class and finesse but the million dollar cricketers along with some of the veterans were utterly disappointing. There is also a possibility that the franchises might release some of those players and they will have to go under the hammer ahead of the next season.

Here we bring you the players who might go unsold next year in the auction:

1. Jason Roy (Delhi Daredevils)

Jason Roy was one of the biggest failures for Delhi franchise after they had bagged his services for his base price of Rs 1.5 Crore. He began with a bang by playing a match-winning inning of 91* runs against the defending champions. Many felt that the openers will ace the season at the top of the order for DD and win games for them single-handedly. But then the familiar story followed. Roy is often guilty of fading away after a bright inning. He had endured a poor run after smashing 180 against Australia at the iconic MCG.

The same happened with him in the IPL as well. He was able to add only 29 runs to his tally in the four matches which followed. He was dropped from the team since then and was not included. He ended the season with 120 runs in 5 matches but a lot was expected of him considering his exploits in the shortest format of the game. But the England opener failed to might well have hurt his chances of playing in the league next year.

2. Yuvraj Singh (Kings XI Punjab)

Frankly, there is not much cricket left in Yuvraj Singh now. This was an important season for him given that he was aiming to make a come back to the Indian side. But the left-hander never looked even fit to play the T20 cricket. He struggled immensely with the bat and could never go past 20-run mark in any of his 6 outings. Moreover, when he failed to hit the ball out of the ground against Mumbai in the last over was a testament to his diminishing abilities.

He has gone past his best and clearly, the end is nigh for him. Yuvi could only muster 65 runs in 8 matches at a poor average of 10.63 and a painful strike-rate of 89.04 which suggests that the Kings XI will not be interested in continuing with him for the next season. He will have to go into the auction again or who knows, he might call time on his illustrious career as well. Though it is sad to see the ‘Sixer King’ of the Indian cricket struggling like this who played a crucial role in winning the 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup for India.

3. Corey Anderson (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Remember a certain Corey Anderson who has smashed one of the fastest ODI centuries off just 36 balls? Well, it would seem as though he has lost it, four years following that knock. While he manages to give the ball a proper whack at times, there are other times where he is immensely inconsistent. The RCB franchise had signed him as a replacement for Nathan Coulter-Nile who was ruled out due to an injury. But the Kiwi cricketer couldn’t reap rich rewards for his team at all. While he was a liability with the bat, his bowling was even worse especially the death.

He was included in the playing XI by Virat Kohli on three occasions and he could only muster 17 runs while bagging a duck in one of those innings. It was strange to see a fearless player like him scrap through for runs. His bowling wasn’t encouraging either as Corey leaked runs at an economy of 13.26. RCB lost a lot of close games during the season and it would not be wrong to say that Anderson was one of the bowlers at the receiving end during the death overs.

4. Vinay Kumar (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Vinay Kumar is known as one of the most experienced players in the domestic circuit having led Karnataka to Ranji Trophy title twice and had led from the front with the ball on both the occasions. But somehow, he has failed to replicate his red-ball form in the T20s. While he has played over 10 matches in the IPL and has crossed the 100-wicket mark as well, the pacer was criticised a lot over his performance at the start of the season.

He played only a couple of matches this year for KKR and was plundered for 65 runs in 3.5 overs which he bowled. The veteran was taken apart in the last over of the innings in both the games and proved to be game-changing in the end. Expectedly, he was dropped from the team and has warmed the bench since then. It is unlikely that he will play any role in the team from here on and it will be hard for him to find any bidders in the auction next year.

5. Mitchell Johnson (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Mitchell Johnson had gone unsold on the first day of the auction before the Kolkata franchise decided to snap him for his base price of Rs 2 Crore. But the 36-years-old has lost the venom in his bowling it seems. He was in and out of the side so often and hasn’t played in the recent matches at all. Johnson was expensive with his pacy left-arm bowling and could only scalp 2 wickets in 6 games.

To pile on his misery, the batsmen attacked him and churned out a whopping 216 runs off his bowling in the 21 overs he delivered for KKR. The franchise will surely be thinking of releasing him ahead of the next season and bring in a youngster who can bowl with decent pace but keep a lid on the run-scoring. Also, it is hard to say if he will play the most celebrated T20 league again.