CWC 2019: Four Indian cricketers in the squad who have been faring poorly in the IPL 

With the Indian team being selected for the World Cup, it is important to asses their current performance in the Indian Premier League. Current performance plays a significant role in shaping up a player's confidence and their ability to withstand the weight of expectations in the marquee tournament.

While players like Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuzvendra Chahal and Virat Kohli are performing exceedingly well, there are quite a few players who have disappointed their franchise and their fans.

Midway through this season of IPL the performance of these cricketers has been way below their potential and they need to do a lot in order to justify their selection for the world cup. Let us take a look at the performance of these four cricketers.

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#1 Dinesh Karthik

For a man who is known to make repeated comebacks into the Indian team, Dinesh Karthik's record in this edition of IPL has been below par. Being the captain, he needs to set an example to the team by batting higher up the order. Out of nine innings so far, he has managed to cross 50 just once and moreover his strike rate this season is just 118.08 which is not acceptable from a finisher.

Perhaps, his selection into the world cup might have erupted several arguments from fans who wished to have Rishabh Pant into the squad. Karthik needs to prove them wrong and this his last opportunity.

VIVO IPL 2019 Record

Matches: 9, Runs: 111, Average: 18.50, Strike Rate: 118.08, Highest Score: 50

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#2 Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar

Having gotten a lot opportunities to bat at number three or four for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Vijay Shankar has failed to grab any of those opportunities. With SRH heavily dependent on David Warner and Jonny Bairstow for runs, Shankar has failed to rise up to the occasion time and again. Out of eight innings so far, Shankar has never managed to cross half century even once.

Maybe now that the pressure of World Cup selection is off, one can expect him to deliver an innings just as a number four batsman of an Indian team would.

VIVO IPL 2019 Record

Matches: 8 , Runs: 139 , Average: 19.85, Strike Rate: 123.00, Highest score: 40*

#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Spearheading the Sunrisers Hyderabad attack, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has neither been able to pick wickets in the power play nor has he been able to contain the batsmen in the death overs. Probably leading the side due to the absence of Kane Williamson might have made him focus less on his bowling.

With just three genuine pacers drafted into the squad, Bhuvi should definitely rise up to the occasion and deliver noteworthy performances.

VIVO IPL 2019 Record

Matches: 8, Wickets: 5, Average: 51.4, Economy Rate: 8.29, Best bowling figures: 2/27

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#4 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav.

Kuldeep Yadav has not been able to weave his magic this season. Given that most of the pitches that he had played this season remained flat, his inability to pick wickets was understandable. But, most of the batsmen are able to read him and tonk him all over over the ground. He has lost his ability to beat the batsmen with his flight and deception.

Perhaps given that the nature of the fifty overs is different from T20 cricket, Kuldeep can definitely make a strong impact by bowling tight in the middle overs.

VIVO IPL 2019 Record

Matches: 9, Wickets: 4, Average: 71.5, Economy Rate: 8.66, Best bowling figures: 2/41

These four cricketers should certainly step up in the remainder of the tournament. It is high time they deliver creditable performances and improve their confidence.