Why are the Top 4 teams in the Top 4?

From the Top to the Base:

KXIP were the finalists in the last season and this year they ended at the Top but on the wrong end of the table. Murali Vijay was the only notable arrival for KXIP this season but he failed to shine. They relied on the players’ who performed for them last season to continue delivering the goods but they failed to come true to the managements’ expectation. A gap of one year is too big to depend on the same players. Especially when you have someone like Sehwag opening the innings, who isn’t getting any younger. KXIP failed to upgrade their squad and their key players from last season failed to discover their touch. Maxwell, Bailey, Johnson were all poor. Marsh too was poor except just one game against the RR where they won after a super over. David Miller could well be termed an exception in this squad as he was a lone fighter with the bat. Indian recruits in Sandeep Sharma, Aruneet Singh and Axar Patel did justify their selection.