IPL 2018: Overseas players who disappointed this season

The 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League lived up to all the expectations of the fans. The tournament has managed to be a bigger and a better edition than all the previous ones. In the fittingly finale of the IPL 2018, the top two sides of the league stages are set to lock horns for the ultimate glory. The Chennai Super Kings will be taking on the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the big game at the iconic venue of the Wankhede stadium. Certainly, these two sides have fared excellently well this season. They have found a new match winner in almost every game. It is worth noting that a key role in an IPL team is often played by the overseas recruits of the side. Needless to concede, these two sides saw their top guns fare up very well this season. On the other hand, the reverse of the same can be said for the other six teams in the competition. Whether one likes it or not, it is indeed true that the other teams fell short of being in the all important finale of the season owing to the fact that some overseas players, or perhaps even many in cases of certain teams, disappointed in the season. Here we take a look at one overseas player from each of the bottom placed six teams who disappointed the most in the season. Here are the overseas players who disappointed in IPL 2018: Kolkata Knight Riders – Mitchell Johnson Mitchell Johnson of KKR. (Photo Source: Twitter) The Kolkata Knight Riders finished third in the IPL 2018. They lost the Qualifier 2 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Interestingly, they fielded just three overseas players in the match. This, in itself, speaks volumes about their underperforming overseas bowlers in the tournament. They had the firepower in Tom Curran and Mitchell Johnson but neither could perform well in the season. The more disappointing among the two was the former Australian speedster. The former Aussie pacer was expected to fill the void left by Mitch Starc in the season. He featured in 6 matches for the KKR team but could only pick up 2 wickes. He went for a lot of runs and leaked runs at an economy of 10.28. His strike rate with the ball was very poor – a high end 63. And his bowling average read a pathetic figure of 108. Rajasthan Royals – Ben Stokes Rajasthan Royals’ Ben Stokes in action. (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Coming in to the tournament, one all-rounder bagged all the limelight. English cricketer Ben Stokes was expected to replicate his heroics of IPL 2017 in the Rajasthan Royals outfit this season. The star all-rounder failed miserably in his attempt to do so. He failed to hit even a single fifty in the tournament. In the 13 matches that he played, he could only muster 196 runs with a top score of 45. He was tried at different batting positions but he could only average 16.33 with the bat. His performances with the ball were not impressive either. In the 13 games, he could only pick 8 wickets at a poor average of 37.87. His economy rate was on the higher side as well, with 8.18 being the exact number. Mumbai Indians – Kieron Pollard Mumbai Indians’ Kieron Pollard in action. (Photo by IANS) Windies all-rounder Kieron Pollard has been an integral part of the Mumbai Indians setup ever since the initial years of the IPL. The big cricketer failed to live up to the expectations of the defending champions this year. The Mumbai Indians also saw their overseas recruit, Mustafizur Rahman, fare very poorly. But considering the impact that Pollard has had over the years, they missed his good form more. The MI skipper looked hesitant to throw the ball to Pollard in the field. With the bat, Pollard had a horror run in the tournament. In the 9 matches that he played, he could only muster 133 runs at a poor average of 19. His solitary good show with the bat was in his comeback game in the season when he hit a 22-ball fifty. But it was a little too late for his side. The Pollardian swirl did not take off in 2018. Royal Challengers Bangalore – Chris Woakes Chris Woakes & Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter) Chris Woakes is a big name in the world cricket. The English speedster has made a name for himself at the highest level. He has also surfaced as a potential all-rounder for his national side. But Woakes had a pathetic time in the IPL this year. Considering the bowling woes that the Royal Challengers Bangalore have always had in the tournament, they roped in Woakes on the roster hoping for a change in fortunes. Much to their disappointment and the disappointment of Virat Kohli, Woakes looked out of touch throughout the season. He played 5 matches in the tournament and bagged 8 wickets. His economy rate was 10.36, which did not help the cause of the team one bit. In addition to Woakes, there were more disappointments for RCB from their overseas players like Corey Anderson and Brendon McCullum. Kings XI Punjab – Aaron Finch Aaron Finch of KXIP. (Photo Source: Twitter) Australian batsman Aaron Finch is one of the most attacking batsmen in the shortest format of the game. This season, Finch saw himself being drafted in the Kings XI Punjab lineup. The veteran cricketer had a terrible run in the tournament. Finch started off the campaign in KXIP outfit with twin ducks to his name. After that, he did manage to get some runs under his belt but none good enough to serve the dwindling fortunes of his side. He played 10 matches in the season and could only score 134 runs. His batting average was as poor as 16.75 this season and his top score a mere 46. His strike rate, a feature he is known for, was an uncharacteristic 134. Delhi Daredevils – Glenn Maxwell Glenn Maxwell of Delhi Daredevils in action. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell arrived in to the competition riding on some serious reputation of being a T20 specialist. He turned up for the Delhi Daredevils lineup in the season. Maxwell had a very rough run in the tournament which even led to the fans calling for his axing from the playing eleven. Despite such widespread discontent among the fans about his place in the side, the franchise showed faith in his abilities. But all of this turned out to be bearing no fruit. Maxwell had a terrible run with the bat – be it as an opener or as a middle-order player. In the 12 matches that he played, he aggregated 169 runs at a poor average of 14.08. He failed to his any fifty in the season and had a top score of 47. For the latest cricket news, follow CricTracker.

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IPL 2018: Overseas players who disappointed this season

Here we take a look at one overseas player from each of the bottom placed six teams who disappointed the most in the season.

Rajasthan Royals – Ben Stokes

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