5 Reputed Players who did not shine in the IPL

A lot of reputed cricketers come to participate in the biggest cricketing league in the world- the Indian Premier League. While some are quick to adjust to the Indian conditions and give their best in the 20 overs format, few players struggle to live up to the hype and expectation that is created because of their past international success. This can lead to not being retained by the franchise or even being unsold in the next auctions. However, all of this only makes the IPL more interesting and highly competitive.

Here are five reputed players who did not shine in the IPL:

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#5 Tymal Mills

Prior to the 2017 IPL auctions, Mills had a reputation for being a T20 specialist bowler and hence attracted the attention of a lot of franchises.

With brilliant performances in T20 leagues (90 wickets in 80 matches at an average of close to 24), Tymal Mills is certainly one of the most explosive pacers from England. It was not shocking that he was acquired for as much as 12 Crores INR by the Royal Challenger Bangalore.

Mills was part of the team which put up their worst performance in the IPL, finishing eighth. The English bowler played only five matches and was completely ineffective.

He did not pose any apparent threat to the batsmen and they had an easy time scoring at over nine runs an over off his bowling. Mills, as a result of his massive failure in the 10th edition of the Indian Premier League, went unsold in this year's auction.

#4 Tim Southee

Southee averages 41.54 in 29 matches in the IPL

The Player of the Tournament in the 2008 U-19 World Cup - Tim Southee’s ability to swing the ball is commendable and has earned him 172 wickets in 153 T20 outings.

The New Zealand Bowler is known for his accurate line and length and his deadly late swinging deliveries.

Although Southee has featured in five previous editions of the IPL, he has not looked as impressive in the IPL as his overall T20 statistics suggest. Southee averages 41.54 in 29 matches in the IPL with an economy which is close to 8.5 runs per over.

Due to his poor run in the IPL, Mumbai Indians chose not to retain him and Southee will now feature in the Royal Challenger Bangalore line up with a hope to improve his numbers in the Indian Premier League.

#3 Eoin Morgan

The England ODI skipper averages 21.35 in IPL

The England ODI captain was a regular IPL player for many years. Morgan has played for as many as four franchises till date.

Even though he is a reputed limited overs cricketer, the Irish born batsman averages a mere 21.35 with just four half-centuries at a strike rate of a little over 120 in the Indian Premier League.

With his highly inconsistent batting performances, Morgan has not been a regular member of the playing XI for any of the teams that he has played for.

Apart from a handful of his innings, Morgan has not quite made a mark in the IPL yet and being an experienced campaigner he would love to tilt the numbers in his favor whenever he gets his chance next.

#2 Muttiah Muralitharan

Muralitharan played just 11 games in his last two years of IPL career

Despite the fact that the veteran off-spinner is known for his ODI and Test Cricket heroics, his performances in the franchise based T20 Cricket has also been reasonably good, the only exception being- the Indian Premier League.

In the 164 T20s that Muralitharan has featured in, he has 179 wickets to his credit with a healthy average of around 22.

However, when it comes to the IPL, Muralitharan achieved mediocre success with 63 wickets in 66 matches and was never the primary weapon for a side. As a result, Muralitharan has no four-wicket hauls or fifers in the Indian Premier League and his most memorable spell is that of 3/11 which came in the second season of the IPL after which his performances gradually declined.

In his last two seasons of IPL, Muralitharan averaged a bizarre 59.00 and 41.33. Having played just 11 games in these two seasons combined, Muralitharan did not quite shine in the Indian Premier League as much he did, representing his country in ODIs and Test Cricket.

#1 Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting in T20s- 909 runs in 43 innings

Australia’s savior on many occasions, Ricky Ponting was one of the best batsmen during his playing days and was compared to Sachin Tendulkar for a good part of his career.

The T20s, however, never seemed to be his genre. With just 909 runs in his 43 innings, Ponting's numbers are enough to indicate that he was not the 50 overs or the Test Cricket Ponting in the shortest format of the game.

Even in the IPL this held to be true. Ponting appeared in a couple of IPL teams- with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008 and with the Mumbai Indians in 2013.

In the 10 matches he played in the league, Ponting scored 91 runs with 28 being his highest score- a dismal stat for a man of his stature. As a coach and mentor though, Ponting has had great success in the league.