IPL 2024: Flop Indian XI of second week

The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) delivered stupendous action to cricket supporters in week two. The second week witnessed the amazing appearance of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fiery pacer Mayank Yadav, who bowled the fastest delivery (156.7 km/h) of the competition against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. 

On one side, the 21-year-old speedster put up a marvellous show with the ball while on the other side, some Indian players lacked discipline and didn’t have a great week. Following the conclusion of the second week, let’s talk about 11 Indian players who didn’t live up to expectations.

Here is the flop Indian XI of the second week -

1. KL Rahul (C) & (WK) 

LSG had a superb week after getting emphatic victories against Punjab Kings (PBKS) and RCB but their captain KL Rahul’s form came out as a concern. Against PBKS in Lucknow, he started well but couldn’t cross the 15-run mark after facing nine deliveries. The Super Giants pocketed a comfortable 28-run win against Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium but Rahul failed to be impressive at his home ground. This time, he could score only 20 runs off just 14 balls.

2. Mayank Agarwal

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) lost their third game in the tournament with their seven-wicket thumping at the hands of Gujarat Titans (GT) at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium. Mayank Agarwal, whose responsibility is to deliver quality starts to the team, again struggled to be among the runs. In the fifth over of the game, he lost his wicket to Azmatullah Omarzai, after scoring only 16 off 17.

3. Devdutt Padikkal

LSG traded in the left-handed batter Devdutt Padikkal from Rajasthan Royals (RR) before the 2024 auction. After three back-to-back flop seasons, the 23-year-old has got the opportunity to prove himself in the new side but thus far, his performance has been dismal. After getting dismissed on a duck against his former side RR in his first contest of the season, Padikkal continued his flop show. Against PBKS and RCB, he went back to the pavilion after scoring only nine and six respectively.

4. Abhishek Porel

Delhi Capitals (DC) looked miserable against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Visakhapatnam and faced a 106-run loss. While chasing the mammoth target of 273, DC got bundled out on 166. Their top-order batters Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, and David Warner surrendered under pressure. Along with these renowned names, Abhishek Porel put up an underwhelming show with his bat after getting dismissed on a five-ball duck.

5. Rajat Patidar

Rajat Patidar has emerged as one of the biggest failures for RCB this season. After four games, he has scored only 50 runs at a horrendous average of 12.50. In the crucial contest against KKR at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, he came to bat at number five but couldn’t score in double digits for the second time in the competition.

Against Lucknow, RCB lost four big wickets while chasing 182 and the right-handed batter had the opportunity to showcase his mettle and help his side achieve the challenging target. However, he looked timid under pressure and threw his wicket after playing a 29-run knock off 21 balls. 

6. Anuj Rawat

Anuj Rawat looked completely out of rhythm against KKR and LSG. After the sensational 48-run innings against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Rawat amassed poor numbers with his bat. Bengaluru lost four wickets within 10 overs while pursuing 182 against Lucknow and the left-handed batter got an uphill task of bringing his team back in the chase. However, he looked nervous under pressure and was dismissed after accumulating only 11 runs in 21 balls.

7. Ravindra Jadeja

CSK suffered their first loss of the competition against DC in Visakhapatnam. Pursuing a target of 192, the defending champions fell 20 runs short. Ravindra Jadeja, who is one of the most experienced stalwarts of the Yellow Army, took the crucial wicket of Prithvi Shaw but couldn’t contain the flow of runs. In his four overs, he gave away 43 runs at an economy of 10.75. He scored 21* off 17 balls at a stage when a higher strike rate was expected of him.

Against SRH, Jadeja stabilised the CSK innings by scoring 31* runs off 23 balls but was proved ineffective with the ball with figures of 4-0-30-0.

8. Deepak Chahar

In CSK’s 20-run loss against DC, pacer Deepak Chahar also played an important part with his terrible bowling. The 31-year-old not only failed to get wickets after bowling his four overs but also proved costly for his side, leaking 42 runs.

Against SRH, the right-arm pacer was again expensive conceding 32 runs off 3.2 overs and picking up just a solitary wicket. Chahar's spell was crucial for CSK at the start of the second innings against the in-form batting lineup of SRH and CSK expected him to deliver, but he failed to do so.

9. Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel was the fourth-costliest player in the 2024 IPL auction, getting snapped up for a hefty amount of INR 11.75 crore by PBKS. However, his performance indicates that he has failed to justify his heavy price tag, thus far. In week two, his costly spell against LSG impacted his team negatively. He splurged 45 runs in four overs and got no wickets. Punjab beat GT by three wickets and won their second game of the tournament but Harshal again looked horrendous. This time, he got the important wicket of Sai Sudharsan but gave away 44 runs.

10. Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj is the leader of RCB’s pace attack and his job is to display his spunk in pressure situations. However, the 30-year-old has received drubbing from batters in three games. The Challengers were handed a humiliating seven-wicket loss against KKR at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and Siraj recorded 0/46 figures in his three overs. 

After getting humbled against the Knight Riders, he was expected to make a comeback against Lucknow but the paceman was taken to the cleaners by batters again. Bowling a four-over spell, he got hit for 47 runs and removed Devudtt Padikkal, who isn’t looking in great touch in this tournament.

11. Rasikh Salam

For the 23-year-old Rasikh Salam, the second week was forgettable as he not only struggled to be among the wickets but also failed to be economical. Against CSK, he played as an impact player but couldn’t create any impact with the ball for Delhi. DC’s bowling attack gasped against the Knight Riders in Visakhapatnam and Salam became the victim of the two-time champion side. In his three overs, KKR batters plundered 47 runs and didn’t lose any wickets against him.