It’s been almost a month since the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League got suspended due to COVID-19 concerns. So while you wait for BCCI to announce the dates for resuming the remainder of the IPL, we have brought you some IPL content to keep you entertained. Want to know what it is? Well then, let’s look at the six most expensive players to fail in IPL.
Most expensive players to fail in IPL:
#1 Yuvraj Singh – ₹16 Crores:
Yuvraj Singh was India’s first-ever T20 superstar and a big name in T20 cricket. In IPL 2014, he played for Royal Challengers Bangalore, and despite their disappointing run, performed well. Yuvraj averaged 34.18 in IPL 2014 and hit three half-centuries ending the season with a strike rate of 135.25. He also took five wickets for RCB.
This performance attracted several bids for him, including his former franchise RCB. But it was Delhi Daredevils who bought his services for a whopping amount of ₹16 crores. However, the Indian superstar failed them by scoring only 248 runs averaging just 19.07 from 14 matches. His strike rate wasn’t too attractive, as he ended the 2015 season with a strike rate of just over 118.
#2 Dinesh Karthik – ₹12.5 Crores:
IPL 2014 wasn’t much fruitful for Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik. Karthik played for the Delhi Daredevils in 2014 after they acquired him for ₹12.5 crores. But he didn’t do justice to this whopping amount and failed to put any eye-catching performances.
A price tag of ₹12.5 crores probably weighed Karthik down in the 14th edition of IPL. He averaged only 23.21 from 14 matches and scored at an average strike rate of just 125.96 in IPL 2014. As a result of this, Delhi Daredevils dropped him before the 2015 IPL Auction.
#3 Ben Stokes – ₹12.5 Crores:
Ben Stokes’s IPL 2017 heroics for Rising Pune Supergiants earned him a ₹12.5 crore deal from Rajasthan Royals at IPL Auction 2018. Stokes had smashed an IPL century, averaged over 31 with a strike rate of 142.98, and taken 12 wickets in the previous season.
However, he couldn’t repeat this performance for the Royals in 2018. Stokes could only manage 196 runs from 13 matches with a high score of just 45 in 2018. His average and strike rate dropped to a mere 16.33 and 121.73, respectively, making his debut season with RR a failure.
#4 Tymal Mills – ₹12 Crores:
After a successful run in several T20 leagues and a decent T20I debut for England against India, Tymal Mills bagged the deal of his career. Royal Challengers Bangalore paid him a whopping ₹12 crores for his services in Red and Black at the IPL Auction 2017.
However, it was a season to forget for Tymal Mills as he could take only five wickets in five matches, going at 8.57 runs per over. He also averaged only 2.66 with the bat, scoring only eight runs with a high score of six. Due to this disappointing performance, he was dropped after just five matches and has never played another ever since.
#5 Jaydev Unadkat – ₹11.5 Crores:
Jaydev Unadkat had a disappointing debut season with Rajasthan Royals in 2018. He was acquired by them at the IPL auction earlier that year at a price tag of ₹11.5 crores. Unadkat’s previous season with Rising Pune Supergiants was a success. He had taken 24 wickets averaging 13.41 from 12 matches.
However, the new season in new colors proved to be a complete disaster for Unadkat. He could take only 11 wickets in the entire season, having played all 15 matches. Unadkat ended the season averaging over 44 with the ball and having thrashed at 9.65 runs per over, making it a season to forget for him.
#6 Manish Pandey – ₹11 Crores:
2018 proved to be a season to forget for Manish Pandey as well. Sunrisers Hyderabad acquired Manish Pandey from Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the IPL 2018 for a massive ₹11 crores. But his debut season for the orange army didn’t go as he would have wanted it to go.
Manish Pandey played all 15 matches for Sunrisers in 2015 but could amass only 284 runs from them. He averaged only 25.81 and could maintain an average strike rate of just over 115, making Manish Pandey the sixth among most expensive players to fail in IPL. However, he has proved to be an asset for the Sunrisers since his unsuccessful 2018 IPL season.
