IPL 2015: 5 players who need to step up for their teams

With the eighth season of the Indian Premier League having almost reached its mid-way, let us take a look at five players who have failed to live up to expectations and who need to step up if their respective teams are to qualify for the play-off stages and eventually the finals. After having spent a lot of money on these players, it is only natural for the franchisees to expect them to deliver when it matters the most.

#5 Ravi Bopara

As a T20 veteran, Ravi Bopara is the kind of utility all-rounder that anyone would want in their team. He may not be the best pinch-hitter out there, but he has enough in his artillery to provide the goods with the bat, and even roll his arm with the ball when needed.

The right-hander from England has featured in all the matches that Sunrisers Hyderabad have played this season, and truth be said, he has fared decently in most of them. But his ‘decent’ performances have not been good enough to salvage consistent victories for his franchise.

A couple of 20+ scores in the first three matches weren’t able to arrest the stutters that Sunrisers went through right at the beginning of their campaign. A horde of uncapped players make up the middle order after David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan at the top, and needless to say, the fragility of the batting-line up is among the reasons why Sunrisers haven’t been able to post 150+ totals as often as the other teams.

A sturdy 41 with the bat against the Daredevils was undone by four wicketless overs in the same match that went for 38 runs. Three unflattering games later, Bopara now finds himself in a position where he absolutely has to deliver within his limited windows of opportunity if Sunrisers are to seriously challenge teams from the top four.

#4 Lasith Malinga

The wily Sri Lankan pacer has been a vital cog in the Mumbai Indians outfit since 2009. His round-arm action and toe-crushing yorkers are feared by all and sundry. With a lot of youngsters flocking the Mumbai squad, the responsibility of spearheading the fast bowling department firmly rests on his shoulders.

Not that Malinga hasn’t delivered time and again. In an IPL career that spans 90 matches, Malinga has to his credit 129 wickets at an average of 18.02 and an economy of 6.65 runs per over. The 2011 Purple Cap winner boasts of a strike-rate of 16.25 and possesses 4 four-wicket hauls and a five-wicket haul.

That Mumbai have lost 5 of their 7 matches so far is hardly a surprise given their star-bowler has been off-colour. After returning wicketless in the inaugural match, Malinga earned 6 wickets in the next 5 matches but at above 8 runs per over.

He displayed traces of his former self in the previous win against Sunrisers Hyderabad and would need to repeat such performances regularly if Mumbai are to qualify for the play-offs.

#3 Dinesh Karthik

It had astonished fans and pundits alike when Dinesh Karthik had bagged 10.5 crore at the IPL auction this year (the highest being 16 crore for Yuvraj Singh). The Team India discard hadn’t had amazing numbers behind him, nor is he a utility player who can chip in with both bat and ball. So his price implied that he would have a big role to play in Royal Challenger Bangalore’s upcoming campaign.

However, Karthik has turned out to be a massive failure so far, having gathered a paltry tally of 43 runs from 6 matches with a highest of 18. Despite being decent with the gloves, he has fallen well short the expectations with the willow, more so because of his coming out to bat at No. 5, when the odds of building an innings are pretty low.

With RCB reeling at 6th on the points table, it is imperative for Karthik to get his act together and justify his value. The onus is on him to provide solidity to the middle-order that has turned out pauper despite boasting of big names.

#2 Yuvraj Singh

The flamboyant all-rounder from Punjab had lit up the domestic circuit with consecutive centuries after he was snubbed by the BCCI for the 2015 World Cup. Once the IPL began, however, he fizzled out and was reduced to a mere shadow of his former self.

Apart from a solitary half-century against the Kings XI, who are languishing at the bottom of the table, the southpaw has been relatively subdued with only 70 runs in the remaining 6 matches at an embarrassing average of 11.66, including 4 single-digit scores. He hasn’t been great with the ball either, having conceded 30 runs in three wicketless overs spanning three matches.

Barring JP Duminy, the Delhi middle-order has failed to meet the challenge multiple times, and Yuvraj being an irreplaceable part of it needs to stand up and be counted. As an experienced member of the squad besides being a clean-hitter of the ball and a versatile player who adds value to the game in all three departments, Yuvraj undoubtedly has to shoulder the responsibility of carrying his team through in the hour of distress.

#1 Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell has had an illustrious IPL career so far. After being signed by the Mumbai Indians in 2013 for a million dollars, he was made to warm the benches for the major part of the season.

But when he was drafted into the Kings XI Punjab squad in 2014, Maxwell struck gold as he began to plunder runs against each and every opposition. In the very third match of the season against Chennai, the Australian smashed a breathtaking 95 off 38 balls, an innings studded with 15 fours and 2 sixes that sailed his team to the 206-run target with 7 balls remaining.

He completed the season with 552 runs in 16 matches at a phenomenal strike-rate of 187.75, including 36 sixes and 48 boundaries.

The 2015 World Cup augered well for the allrounder as he contributed regularly to the team’s cause with both bat and ball. Surprisingly though, Maxwell lost his touch post the World Cup and has only accumulated 62 runs from the 5 matches he has been fielded in.

After single digit scores in the first two matches, he got to 15 against Delhi Daredevils. He started of well in the next home match against Kolkata Knight Riders only to throw it away. A similar innocuous performance against the Rajasthan Royals saw him being benched from the next match.

With Kings XI suffering the woes of a fragile batting order, they must be desperately hoping he steps up and guides his team to some much-needed victories.