Five Retained Indian players who have disappointed in this year's IPL

Before the start of the IPL auctions, teams were planning on which players to retain and whom to buy using the RTM cards. While most of the teams did retain players as per the expectations, there were teams which went against the convention and sprung up a few surprises.

Consider the case of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Sunil Naraine, etc. They have consistently performed and repaid the faith shown by the team management. When such a huge amount of money is spent to retain existing players, there is an obvious expectation of match-winning performances from them. In this article, we look at the statistics and analyze which players disappointed in this year's IPL.

5) Sarfaraz Khan:

Sarfaraz Khan did not even start in few matches due to his poor form

The retention of the diminutive right-handed batsman was the most baffling decision in this year's IPL. From cricketing legends to famous commentators, everyone questioned the logic behind such a move.

While RCB were hoping that Sarfaraz performs and fills in the crucial role of a finisher, they were left disappointed with the performance from the 20-year-old. His form was so poor that they had to drop him and try out other players. He just played seven matches and was able to score a paltry 51 runs at a lowly average of 10.2.

If there had been a time travel machine, then RCB would have definitely used it to replace Sarfaraz with either KL Rahul or Shane Watson, both of whom have been in exceptional form in this year's IPL.

4) Ravindra Jadeja:

Jadeja has been inconsistent

Ravindra Jadeja was selected ahead of DJ Bravo and Ashwin to be retained for the yellow army. He was expected to be a handful with the bat, and his accurate bowling was the major reasons for him being picked.

After failing to consistently perform in the first half of IPL, Dhoni still persisted with him and his bowling improved in the second half. His batting has been very poor as he has just scored 89 runs in the 15 matches that he has played. His performances don't justify the huge amount that was spent on him to retain him.

3) Axar Patel:

Axar Patel's retention was a blunder by Punjab

When Punjab decided to retain Axar Patel, there were many questions that were asked. For a player who was out of form and was shunned by the national selectors, selecting him was a big gamble. The results show that the decision to pick him was a big blunder.

Neither did he impress with his bowling nor did he chip in with his batting. In the nine matches that he has played, he scored just 80 runs at an average of 13.33. His bowling numbers were even more pathetic. He just picked up 3 wickets and was expensive as he conceded runs at an economy rate of around 8.5.

2) Bhuvneshwar Kumar:

Bhuvneshwar had a forgetful season

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is currently India's frontline bowler and in lieu with the expectations, he was retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 2016 and 2017, he was the crux of their bowling attack and this year too, there were hopes that he would repeat his past performances.

The bowler from Uttar Pradesh has had a sub-par season this year. Injuries during the course of the tournament haven't helped either. The Purple Cap holder of 2016 season has just taken 10 wickets at an average of 35. This is in contrast to his bowling performances in 2016 and 2017, where he averaged 21.3 and 15 respectively. His struggles have meant that other players like Sidharth Kaul and Rashid Khan have had to take additional responsibility.

1) Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma failed to impress

Famously called as "Hitman" by his team-mates, the Mumbaikar had the worst IPL season of his career. After being retained by Mumbai Indians, it was widely believed that their captain would lead them to an unprecedented 4th IPL title.

Unfortunately, that was not the case as Rohit Sharma failed to cross 300 runs for the first time in eleven seasons. He scored just 286 runs at a poor average of 23. Some of his decisions as a captain were baffling too. His dip in form showed in his decision making as he kept changing and chopping the team.

Though all the blame can't be put on a single individual alone, his performance was one of the major reasons why Mumbai Indians could not make it to the playoffs. Mumbai will hope that he comes good in the next season and helps them win their 4th title.