5 IPL greats who have failed to perform in T20Is

The IPL has been a stepping stone for a lot of cricketers who made it big in their international careers after a few sparkling IPL seasons.

Players like Ambati Rayadu, Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin to an extent kick-started their careers after achieving immense success with their respective IPL sides. It will be extremely interesting to see whether youngsters like Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan can capitalise on the IPL 2017 for their future success.

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However, there are a few cricketers who have had glorious IPL careers but have failed to perform well in T20 internationals for their respective countries.

In this article, we take a look at those 5 IPL greats who failed to perform in T20Is.

#5 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan burst onto the scene with an impressive debut season in the IPL for the Delhi Daredevils. In his very first season, he scored 340 runs in 14 innings at an average of 37.77 with 4 half-centuries to his name. He followed that up with two poor seasons with the bat in 2009 and 2010 for the Mumbai Indians but has been consistent since 2011 with an average of above 30 in almost every season.

His good IPL form and superb domestic form led to him being called up to the Indian ODI side in 2010 and Test side in 2011. He impressed in both formats with some superb performances with the bat.

He had to wait till 2013 to make his debut in the T20 format and while a lot was expected of him after his IPL form, he failed to deliver. In 22 innings for the Men in Blue, he scored only 416 runs at an average of 20.80 with two half-centuries to his name.

#4 Ajinkya Rahane

Currently the vice-captain of the Indian cricket team, Ajinkya Rahane featured in only 10 matches for them from 2008-2010 for the Mumbai Indians and hardly got a chance to make a mark for himself. However, his fortunes turned when he was signed up by the Rajasthan Royals in 2011.

He began to show his class with the bat and became an integral member for the Royals over the next few years. After being the leading run-getter for RR in IPL 2012, he was the highest run-scorer in Champions League T20 in 2013.

An impressive 2011 season led to him being called up to the T20I side to face England in Manchester. He began with aplomb, scoring 61 on his debut despite India losing the match. Unfortunately, his form dipped after that and he was unable to put up an impressive show with the bat in the shortest format of the game despite being a consistent performer in Tests.

#3 Yusuf Pathan

This hard-hitting batsman showed his skill while playing for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy before the IPL, and carried on his domestic form into the glamorous tournament as well when he was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals for the first edition.

He had a breakthrough debut season for the IPL winners and was even named the man of the match in the final. He ended up with 435 runs in 2008 at an average of 31.07 and a phenomenal strike rate of 179.01.

He made his T20I debut before the IPL began in the final of the World T20 in 2007 at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. There was not much expected of him back then but after his success in the IPL, fans began to expect similar stuff from the swashbuckling batsman in Indian colours as well.

Unfortunately, he has been able to manage only 236 runs in 18 innings at an average of 18.15 with no half-centuries.

#2 Albie Morkel

This 35-year-old veteran played an integral role in the success of the Chennai Super Kings from 2008-13. He made an impact with the bat and the ball in his very first season in 2008 with 240 runs and 17 wickets to his name.

He continued to perform well for CSK over the next few years as well playing the role of a finisher and an impact bowler. No one will ever forget his match-winning knock against RCB in 2012 when he smashed Virat Kohli for 28 runs in the penultimate over of the game to take his side to victory.

However, he was not able to transfer his IPL success to the national side despite featuring in 50 T20Is for the Proteas. He averages only 21.18 with the bat in T20Is and 33.23 with the ball.

#1 AB De Villiers

The very name of AB De Villiers brings about a smile on every Royal Challengers Bangalore fan’s face. Ever since he joined the franchise back in 2011, he has become one of the best players in the IPL and a massive fan favourite as well.

The way he has been able to decimate opposition bowlers with ease has been a sight to behold for RCB fans. In 120 matches over 9 years in the tournament, he scored 3257 runs at an average of 39.24 with 21 half centuries and 3 centuries to his name.

However, when it comes to the national side, the story is quite different. While his average in the ODI and Test format is impressive, he has not managed to in the T20 format averaging only 24.28 in 70 innings.