IPL 2023: First Week Flop XI

In the opening week of the Indian Premier League 2023, some players have done an exceptional job. Players such as Kyle Mayers, Prabhsimran Singh, Mark Wood, and Nathan Ellis showcased their mettle and grabbed the eyes of league watchers. While, veterans such as 2022 IPL Orange Cap winner Jos Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Rashid Khan continued their last edition’s excellent form in the first week of this season. Albeit, on the contrary, some players have been able to justify their price tag and place while playing for their respective IPL franchises. Before the tournament, these names were expected to showcase their best but after the conclusion of the first week, it has been witnessed that they struggled to be among the runs and wickets. Furthermore, some names have been baffling given the fact that they scripted history at the auction by becoming one of the most expensive players in the mega carnival. In the same vein, let us examine how the past week has panned out for various franchises. Interestingly enough, with the introduction of the Impact player rule. Consequently, some of these players could have created a great impact on the outcomes of the matches played so far but have had a lacklustre run in the tournament so far. Discussing more, here is the flop XI from the first week of the 2023 IPL: 1. KL Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants) (Captain & Wicketkeeper) KL Rahul. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL) In the last few months, KL Rahul has continued his poor form in a national jersey, but ahead of the 2023 IPL his fabulous batting record in the T20 extravaganza gave some hope to his supporters. However, his disastrous form followed him in the cash-rich league as well. Leading his team in the first IPL 2023 contest, he couldn’t be influential with his bat against David Warner-led Delhi Capitals. Kicking off the innings with the dashing West Indies batter, Kyle Mayers, Rahul gave his wicket to the medium-fast pacer, Chetan Sakariya, scoring only eight runs off 12 deliveries. Playing the away game against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), they were pursuing a colossal total of 218. In the huge game, the LSG team management and fans were expecting Rahul to lead from the front, but the wicketkeeper adopted a defensive approach against the bowlers, which sent him back to the pavilion with his score of 20 off just 18. 2. Prithvi Shaw (Delhi Capitals) Prithvi Shaw. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) The first week of Delhi Capitals (DC) has been quite topsy-turvy for both their players and the fans alike. Their performance in the initial two games was completely disappointing. In all three departments, they lacked discipline, and noting that their opponents missed no chance to dominate them completely in the contests. Along with Mitchell Marsh, their top-order batter Prithvi Shaw has also struggled to rack up runs. On one side, his skipper and opening partner David Warner has done his job of anchoring the innings at one end, while on the other side, Shaw has failed to deliver fine starts to his team. His poor run with the bat is also affecting his team’s chances in the competition. In the matches against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Gujarat Titans (GT), he scored just 12 and 7 runs respectively, with his bat. Counting on his experience and past numbers, DC might give him more chances in the upcoming matches, and in return, he will have to showcase his best to help his team make a comeback in the IPL 2023. 3. Mitchell Marsh (Delhi Capitals) Mitchell Marsh. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) The Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh will have to be at his best for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the ongoing T20 tournament. In the DC batting order, he supports David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, and Sarfaraz Khan, but so far in the competition, he has made his team’s task difficult with his dismal batting shows. Against KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Mark Wood dislodged his bails to send him back to the pavilion without scoring any runs. Going through his recent form and reputation, DC supporters were hopeful of the Aussie to come hard on bowlers and help their team to pull off the difficult chase. Contesting against the quality Gujarat Titans side, he continued his flop show. This time, the GT speedster Mohammed Shami showed a merciless approach towards him and bowled him out after getting hit for a boundary. 4. Devdutt Paddikal (Rajasthan Royals) Devdutt Padikkal. (Photo Source: Twitter) After failing to do well for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) last year, Devdutt Padikkal started his journey in the IPL 2023 with not much difference. Against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the left-handed batter failed to have a blast with his bat. At his individual score of two, he got outfoxed by Umran Malik’s blazing speed.At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, his team took the game away by a convincing margin of 72 runs, but the same didn’t happen in the second game. In their new home ground Barsapara Stadium, the Men in Pink got a five-run defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings (PBKS). Following the score of 198, RR lost their three batters in a quick time. With the arrival of Sanju Samson and Padikkal on the crease, RR supporters were expecting both batters to take their team home. This time, he had the opportunity to shine with the bat but his sluggish innings created pressure on his skipper Samson and Riyan Parag to take risks. Both batters lost their wickets while accelerating the innings and following them Padikkal also went to the pavilion scoring only 21 off 26 deliveries. 5. Harry Brook (Sunrisers Hyderabad) Harry Brook. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL) Harry Brook had become one of the most expensive players in the IPL 2023 mini-auction. The 2016 IPL champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bought him at 13.25 crore to get his services in the competition. Banking on his batting talent, SRH gave him the responsibility to bat in the middle order. In his team’s opening match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), he got dismissed on just 13 runs (21 balls). With the absence of their captain Aiden Markram due to his national duties, Brook was considered an important asset in SRH’s middle order. While chasing a mammoth total of 204, his batting was crucial for the team but the youngster couldn’t handle the pressure and threw away his wicket to the ace legspinner, Yuzvendra Chahal. So far, he has not produced any fireworks with his bat which resulted in his team's loss in both matches. Therefore, it will be important for him to adopt a ferocious batting approach and turn up against the bowlers in the upcoming matches. 6. Ben Stokes (Chennai Super Kings) Ben Stokes. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star player Ben Stokes hasn’t lived up to the expectation of CSK supporters so far. The swashbuckling England all-rounder was picked at a whopping INR 16.25 crore by the four-time IPL champions at the 2023 mini-auction. After getting signed at this hefty sum, it was expected of him to yield good results for the team with his bat. His performance in week 1 remained dismal as the Southpaw seemed out of colour with his bat. Donning a CSK jersey for the first time against Gujarat Titans (GT), he contributed only seven runs to the team with his bat. In a stern battle with the spin wizard, Rashid Khan, the 31-year-old succumbed to his spin prowess. The spunky England all-rounder had a chance to show his best against KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), but again, he failed to solidify the team with his performance. Scoring only eight runs and giving away 18 runs in his one-over spell, Stokes failed to justify his amount again. 7. Akash Deep (Royal Challengers Bangalore) Akash Deep. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) showed faith in Akash Deep in their initial two games. The Bengal cricketer has the potential to bolster the team with his medium-fast bowling and batting at the lower order, but his non-performance in the first week of the IPL 2023 has wilted the faces of RCB supporters. Featuring in the playing XI against Mumbai Indians (MI), he looked ineffective with the ball. The pacer bowled three overs in the game and spoiled his team’s plan of building pressure on MI batters. In the end, his team sealed an eight-wicket triumph against the Men in Blue, but the youngster got only one wicket in three overs at a terrible economy of 9.67. In the next game, his struggle got worse as KKR batters went berserk against him. Punishing him for his lousy bowling, Knight Riders batters thrashed him for 30 runs in his two overs. So far, the 26-year-old has failed to become an ideal option to strengthen the RCB fast-bowling unit. 8. Harshal Patel (RCB) Harshal Patel. (Photo Source: Twitter/Indian Premier League) In the last couple of IPL editions, Harshal Patel did a brilliant job for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Clinching 51 wickets in 30 matches of the last two seasons, he became an integral part of the RCB line-up. Relying on his wicket-taking potential, Challengers were expecting him to wreak havoc on batters in the ongoing season as well. However, his first bowling numbers in the first week remained disappointing. Playing the first two games of the IPL 2023, he looked totally out of rhythm. In his team’s maiden contest against MI, he completed his four-over spell and got only one wicket at an underwhelming economy of 10.75. His performance remained unsatisfactory against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as well. This time, he didn’t complete his four overs as he became a favourite target for KKR batters due to his indisciplined bowling. Bowling three overs in the match, he bagged only one wicket and went for 38 runs. 9. Tushar Deshpande (Chennai Super Kings) Tushar Deshpande. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Tushar Deshpande is an important part of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as he vitalises the CSK pace attack with his medium-pace bowling. In his team’s five-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the opener, he created history by becoming the first ‘Impact Player’ in the league. The 27-year-old replaced Ambati Rayudu in the squad. After achieving this amazing feat, he could’ve made the night more marvellous by delivering a match-winning spell for his team. However, the Mumbai-born player became the most expensive bowler of the match, giving 51 runs in 3.2 overs with the scalp of Shubman Gill. His poor bowling efforts also cost the match. Despite witnessing his dismal show in the tournament opener, the CSK team management backed him for the second game against Lucknow Super Gianst (LSG). This time again, he made it to the squad as an ‘Impact Player’. In the high-scoring game, he contributed to his team with a couple of wickets but his exorbitant economy became a headache for Super Kings yet again. The CSK bowler ended his spell with 4.0-0-45-2 figures. 10. Mukesh Kumar (Delhi Capitals) Mukesh Kumar. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL) Delhi Capitals (DC) didn’t have decent starts in their initial two games of the season. Their below-par batting and bowling displays in both games came out as a concern for the 2020 IPL runners-up. In the 2023 mini-auction, Mukesh Kumar was one of their eye-grabbing buys. The franchise spent INR 5.5 crore on him to acquire his services in the ongoing season. Playing his first game in a DC jersey against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), he delivered an economical spell to his team but couldn’t bag any wickets. In the next contest, his struggle continued as the 29-year-old’s bowling figures got worse against the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT). In his second league game, his responsibility was to support Khaleel Ahmed and Anrich Nortje to reinforce DC’s pace battery. However, he failed to do so as the GT batters came heavily on him and plundered 42 runs from his four-over spell. Like his maiden IPL match, the right-arm medium pacer failed to pick up any wickets against Titans as well. 11. Jason Behrendorff (Mumbai Indians) Jason Behrendorff. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL) In November 2022, the Australian pacer Jason Behrendorff was signed by Mumbai Indians through the trade window from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Notably, the Aussie quick’s role was crucial for Mumbai in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Jhye Richardson. However, his first match of this season didn’t go well. Contesting against RCB in their opening game at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, MI batters posted a decent score of 171/7 on the board. To defend this total, skipper Rohit Sharma was expecting his bowlers to do wonders. Along with England speedster, Jofra Archer, Behrendorff’s role was important in the match. However, the Aussie failed to be at his best that night and splurged 37 runs in his three-over spell. He also went wicketless in the game. His failure in the match impacted Mumbai’s chances as the hosts took the game away with eight wickets in hand.

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IPL 2023: First Week Flop XI

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