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IPL: Big budgets, big flops

Some superstars picked or retained by teams are turning out to be disastrous with their individual show this IPL season. dna's Rutvick Mehta chalks out the list of players who have disappointed their team

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Yuvraj Singh: Delhi Daredevils
Rs 16 crore

Eyebrows were raised when the Indian discard fetched a record Rs 16 crore in the February auctions. Yes, the Punjab da munda brings the much-needed star power in an otherwise low-key Delhi team, but as far as runs are concerned, they ain't coming. One fifty in seven outings neither does justice to his talent, nor the Rs 16 crore. People have since gone on an overdrive on the amount each run off his bat is worth at the moment (Rs 6.5 lakh, apparently), and unless the southpaw starts scoring some runs, such number-crunching is unlikely to stop.

M    Runs    HS    Avg    SR
7    124    54    17.71    120.38

Dinesh Karthik: Royal Challengers Bangalore
Rs 10.5 crore

Dinesh Karthik is a peculiar case. The diminutive wicket-keeper batsman has done precious little in the history of IPL, but still manages to attract huge amounts almost every time he goes under the hammer. “I (being sold for) so much money means a minimum of two teams have thought that I am worth it. I want to repay the faith and play a role in leading the team to the title,” he had said after bagging a whopping Rs 10.5 crore at the auctions. With a highest score of 18 in six outings so far, he is far from it.

M    Runs    HS    Avg    SR
6    43    18    10.75    104.87

Glenn Maxwell: Kings XI Punjab
Rs 6 crore#

He had a big party in the last IPL season — notching up 552 runs in 16 matches – but is suffering from a hangover this season. By his own admission, Maxwell, who looked a pale shadow of his usual self, is finding it tough to get going in the IPL immediately after the high of winning a World Cup for Australia. But there are no excuses in modern-day cricket, and certainly not when the others are doing it too. The Kings decided to go in without him after five games, something which is sure to hurt the Aussie.

M    Runs    HS    Avg    SR
5    62    33    12.40    134.78

David Miller: Kings XI Punjab
Rs 12.5 crore*

The South African was one of the two players — Manan Vohra being the other — to be retained by the Kings XI Punjab in 2014. He did do justice to their faith last season, but not this time around. The man who finished games for the Kings last year with aplomb has failed to even get them to that stage this year. Other than a 54 against the Rajasthan Royals, Miller has nothing to show, and it remains to be seen how long it takes before George Bailey & Co. run out of patience with him.

M    Runs    HS    Avg    SR
6    124    54    20.66    119.23

Lasith Malinga: Mumbai Indians
Rs 9.5 crore*

Lasith Malinga was strangely off-colour throughout the World Cup, and unfortunately for the Mumbai Indians, has carried that form into the IPL. Always a core of the Mumbai set-up, the Sri Lankan has been one of the primary reasons of their success stories in the past, and is one of the primary reasons for their failure this season so far. The leader of the attack has not picked up more than two wickets in a match sans the 4/23 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last game. More worryingly, his economy rate is almost eight-an-over, something one wouldn't associate with the Malinga of the past.

M    Wkts    Best    SR    Econ
7    10    4/23    16.80    7.96

Angelo Mathews: Delhi Daredevils
Rs 7.5 crore

After Yuvraj and Karthik, Angelo Mathews was the most expensive player purchased in the auctions earlier this year. Delhi Daredevils coach Gary Kirsten would've expected a lot of out the highly-rated Sri Lankan all-rounder. But so far, Mathews has been a disappointment. With 93 runs and five wickets out of six matches, Mathews has neither made an impact with the bat nor with the ball, and has struggled to find the quality you would usually associate with one of the most talented cricketers to have emerged from the island nation in recent times.

M    Runs    HS    Wkts    Best
6    93    28    5    2/15

Mitchell Johnson: Kings XI Punjab
Rs 6.5 crore#

Fearsome, lethal, ferocious: these are some of the words that describe Mitchell Johnson. Well, he's been none of that this season. Yes, T20s is not his favourite format, but to be handled with ease by most batsmen this season must be bothering the Australian, as well as the Kings XI Punjab. He tends to concede more than nine runs per over on an average, and his best has been a 2/23 against the Mumbai Indians. His yorker to dismiss Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Watson in that Super Over reminded everyone of what he can do, but such instances have come too few and far between.

M    Wkts    Best    SR    Econ
7    8    2/23    20.87    9.05

Virender Sehwag: Kings XI Punjab
Rs 3.2 crore#

One doesn't expect consistency from the Virender Sehwag school of batting, but one surely expects a match-winning knock or two from it. Sehwag has produced none this season. Kings XI Punjab bowling coach Joe Dawes said that by Sehwag's own admission, he hasn't been happy with his form. Even at his worst of times, Sehwag is someone who believes in himself, who exudes confidence even at a time of crisis. Sadly for him and his fans, it's not the case this time around. No wonder, then, that the Kings decided to drop him for their last game.

M    Runs    HS    Avg    SR
6    96    47    16.00    124.67

Dale Steyn: Sunrisers Hyderabad
Rs 9.5 crore*

Dale Steyn seems to have done more surfing during his time in India for this IPL season than play cricket. Last season, he was SRH's pace spearhead. This season, he is struggling to make the playing XI regularly, with David Warner & Co. preferring to go with Trent Boult in four out of their seven matches so far. The South African said it was frustrating for him to be sitting on the sidelines, but in the three matches that he played, he didn't do anything earth-shattering to make a point to the SRH management. Three matches is too little to judge failure, but is enough to show what champions are made of.

M    Wkts    Best    SR    Econ
3    3    2/38    22.00    8.09

* Retained amount in 2014
# Purchase amount in 2014

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