IPL: 5 outstanding performers from last season who haven’t done well this time

With the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) having completed two-thirds of its schedule, we have witnessed some brilliant performances in the process. The batsmen displayed fireworks with their power hitting and the bowlers have been able to turn the match around in one good over. Such is the beauty of the T20 format and the unpredictability around it adds more flavour to the cause.

Speaking of unpredictability, the form of T20 cricketers have wavered from time to time. While some franchise recruits weren’t in their best of forms in the last season, they have made a huge comeback this year. Contrastingly, some star players from the past seasons have many a time disappointed in the succeeding seasons an that’s more IPL than anything. Here let’s have a look at the players who have been awry this season, unlike their form in IPL 2018:

Andrew Tye- KXIP

The Australian T20 bowler winning the Purple Cap in the last season of the IPL came as a surprise to most. In the process, he claimed 24 wickets in 14 games for Ravichandran Ashwin’s Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and emerged as a reliable bowler at the death overs. His run also included four four-wicket hauls.

However, in this season of the marquee T20 league, the right-arm fast bowler has appeared only in six games and has conceded a huge number of runs- an economy rate of 9.68- and has been able to bag only two wickets. Even in his national side he has proven to be expensive and hasn’t been a go-to bowler since.

Ambati Rayudu- CSK

Things haven’t been going well for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) top-order batsman Ambati Rayudu. After a brilliant season last year wherein he scored 602 runs, the fourth highest in IPL 2018, at an impressive strike rate of over 149, Rayudu was seen as India’s potential number 4 as after some time KL Rahul, who also did well in the same season, lost his form.

However, the 33-year-old Rayudu wasn’t selected in the World Cup squad following inadequate numbers in the international scene as well. Turns out, the CSK batsman is not having a great IPL season either. In 11 matches so far for CSK in this editions IPL, the Guntur-born batsman has only managed 213 runs at a strike rate less than 100.

Kane Williamson- SRH

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Kane Williamson was the winner of the ‘Orange Cap’ last season as he accumulated a gigantic 735 runs. Under his captaincy, the Hyderabad team was able to make it to the finals of the T20 league wherein they lost to MS Dhoni’s CSK. This year though the batting fireworks by the SRH has mostly been executed by the opening duo of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow.

The two batsmen are No.1 and 2 in the list of highest run scorers. Meanwhile, Williamson has been irregular to the side due to his shoulder injury and is now currently in New Zealand after he got the news of the demise of his grandmother. The Tauranga-born cricketer is going to join ahead of Sunrisers’ next match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur on Saturday, April 27.

Suryakumar Yadav- MI

The Mumbai Indians (MI) batsman in his 10 appearances has only managed 243 runs so far at an average in the early 20s, as opposed to his brilliant run last season. With 512 runs at 36.57, last year, the 28-year-old Surya was remarkable for the right-handed batsman who has scored just one half-century this season.

These numbers might put his position in the team in uncertainty before the all-important playoffs get underway. While Mumbai openers Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock have taken the responsibility of the top-order, with the big clash against the Super Kings on Friday, the visiting side would require Suryakumar to up his game at the Chepauk.

Kuldeep Yadav- KKR

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team seemed to crumble with a straight line of four losses at their home ground on April 25, Thursday, as they lost to the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Prior to that, they also lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Kolkata. As RCB skipper Virat Kohli executed a brilliant hundred at the Eden Gardens, the KKR Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav went for over 14 runs an over.

After KKR lost the game by 10 runs, Kuldeep was dropped from the team and hasn’t appeared in the last two games for Kolkata. In 9 matches this season, the Indian team’s frontline spinner has only managed 4 wickets at 8.66 economy rate. However, KKR lost the game against SRH and Kuldeep’s replacements haven’t been impressive either. It’s likely that the tweaker will make a comeback in KKR’s upcoming fixtures.

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