3 foreigners who have underperformed in IPL 2018

This IPL saw a few foreign players who got more opportunities to play than what seems befitting. Although most of these players are seniors and/or proven match-winners in T20 cricket, the players they kept out were no less good, if not better than them.

In a tournament like IPL where only 4 overseas spots are allowed, form and consistency of these 4 players have a huge impact on the team's performance.

Here are 3 such players who were extremely fortunate and kept their places even after a string of substandard performances.

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#1 Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell has been a true match winner in the international arena for a long time, but his record in IPL, and especially in the matches played in India (a part of the 2014 season was played in the UAE) has been abysmal, with an average of a mere 19.57.

He was drafted in as soon as he was available for selection but failed to impress. The Australian's average in his first 5 innings was 19.00, and he had just bowled 6 overs, returning just a single wicket. He got an extended run for 10 matches and was dropped only when his team was all but knocked out of the tournament.

Maxwell seems to have been fortuitous when he was given a go even after five failures, while Colin Munro was dropped only after two games even though Munro's average in T20 internationals in India is 37 compared to 25 of Maxwell (with a similar strike rate).

Maxwell ended the season with an average of 13 with the bat and only 5 wickets with the ball.

#2 Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch is very well remembered for his 156 in a T20 international match which is still the highest individual score in the format. When he was purchased for Rs 6.2 crores by KXIP, it was not a surprise; his domination in this format can be also seen by the ICC rankings for T20 Internationals where he's at No. 4.

Although Sehwag, KXIP's mentor, made it clear at the auction that Finch was their first choice opener, Finch's unavailability led to Mayank Agarwal getting the opportunity, and he utilized it to its fullest.

This meant that the Australian had to play in the middle order, where he failed. After 6 innings in which he averaged 6.00, he had to be dropped because the opening pair had settled well, and he couldn't displace them.

When KXIP was again looking for a middle order option after a few games, he was the fortunate one. He got picked ahead of Miller, who had recently scored the joint fastest T20 international ton and also averaged 50 in the two innings he had played in this season of IPL.

Finch's performances have improved tremendously after coming back, and he has averaged 35.33 in those 3 innings after his return, but those have come only in the 30s and 40s, unlike the match-winning knocks that the side needs from him.

#3 Ben Laughlin

Ben Laughlin

Ben Laughlin has never been a match winner, but he's always been effective. He was picked by the Rajasthan Royals after a stellar BBL 17-18 where he gave away runs at less than 8 an over, while his average was a shade under 20.

He was always going to be their back up bowler, but his chance came earlier than when everyone expected after Jofra Archer was injured. He brought a lot of experience with him and therefore, was expected to lead the attack, but he did a poor job in his first three matches, by giving away runs at 10.85 and taking just 3 wickets at 28.66.

After three matches, when Jofra became available for selection, it was expected that he would be a straight swap for Laughlin, but that didn't happen and Laughlin was given a few more opportunities, but he disappointed again, giving runs at 9.33 and had an average of 37.5.

Eventually, when Archer was given a go, he performed exceptionally well, picking 6 wickets in his first two matches itself and choking the opposition in the end in both of those matches. He has maintained consistent performances and is Royals' highest wicket-taker even though he has played just 9 matches for them.