IPL 2018: Performance report of 5 most expensive buys after week 1 of IPL XI

The first week of the eleventh edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is over, with every team having played a couple of games.

Like every other year, IPL XI has unearthed some hidden gems like Mayank Markande. On the contrary, some of the renowned international cricketing superstars have failed to deliver.

The franchises splurged their money on certain players they had immense faith on. While some proved them right, others didn't justify their highly inflated value a bit.

Let us have a look at the performance of five most expensive buys of IPL XI after the first week of the tournament:

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#5 Chris Lynn (Kolkata Knight Riders)

The powerful Australian opener is one of the most destructive batters in world cricket, and hence KKR had to pay Rs 9.6 crores to get his signature. But Lynn has failed to prove his worth in both the chances he has got so far.

In the first game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Lynn scored only 5 runs chasing a target of 177.

In the second game against Chennai Super Kings, Lynn got off to a good start, but his ship hit an iceberg when he amassed only 22 runs.

Overall, he has scored only 27 runs so far and desperately needs to get his usual rhythm back.

#4 Manish Pandey (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

SRH will hope Pandey can replicate his form during his KKR days

The main architect behind Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL 2016 final triumph, Manish Pandey was roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a hefty fee of Rs 11 crores. Pandey was phenomenal for KKR, and the 'Orange Army' think tank wanted him to keep his form going.

Pandey didn't get a chance to bat in the first game where Shikhar Dhawan annihilated the Rajasthan Royals in the first game but failed to do anything significant in the second match against Mumbai Indians.

Chasing a small total of 152, SRH lost two wickets in quick succession after a fiery start. They wanted Pandey to steady the ship as he has done numerous times for KKR, but he failed to produce a similar performance.

Pandey scored 11 runs before throwing away his wicket to Markande.

#3- KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab)

Rahul has had a good start to his IPL campaign

A lot was being said when Kings XI Punjab spent as much as Rs 11 crores on the wicket-keeper cum batsman KL Rahul, but he has undoubtedly been the best performer amongst the five on the list.

Rahul played a swashbuckling inning of 51 runs from just 16 deliveries in the first match against Delhi Daredevils. His innings comprised of 6 boundaries and 4 over the rope hits.

He played a well-composed inning of 47 runs of 30 balls in the second game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, but unfortunately for him, he found no partners at the other end.

Rahul has hence scored 98 runs in this year's IPL of just 46 balls, and his strike rate is over 200. If he manages to prolong his purple patch, Kings XI Punjab will be the team to beat this season.

#2 Jaydev Unadkat (Rajasthan Royals)

Unadkat has not been effective in the first two games

Not too many eyebrows were raised when Rajasthan Royals bid Rs 11.5 crores for Jaydev Unadkat because the left-arm pacer from Porbandar had a great season last year.

Two games into this season, the question marks have started pouring in. Unadkat received some thrashing in the first game against Hyderabad, where he conceded 28 runs in three overs.

Since Dhawan thrashed every other Rajasthan bowler in that game, we can overlook his poor performance.

However, his spell in the second encounter against Delhi Daredevils wasn't something special either.

In a rain-curtailed match, Unadkat conceded 24 runs in two overs. Though he picked up the important wicket of Rishabh Pant, that alone doesn't justify his price tag.

#1 Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals)

Stokes has not been performing up to last year's standards

Ben Stokes is known for his prowess as a finisher, but Rajasthan is surprisingly using him in the top-order.

He was sent in as No. 4 in the first game, whereas he batted at No. 3 in the second game.

The Rs 12.5 crore player isn't doing well at those positions, as he scored just five runs in one game and 16 in the other.

He got only two overs to bowl so far, in which he has conceded 21 runs. Hence, Stokes of 2018 is miles apart from his performances last year, and Royals want him to get his form back as soon as possible.

Also, they might use Stokes lower down the order, which suits his naturally aggressive brand of batting.

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