IPL: 10 most expensive flops in the IPL history

The IPL auction marks the beginning of the IPL season every year and it has been as fascinating as the tournament itself ever since the very first season of the IPL. Over the 11 year rich history of the auction, various franchises have surprised the cricket fans with their decisions. While some franchises manage their purse well along with executing their plans, some others empty their purse to buy a particular player.

Each and every year not only the players sign multi-crore deals with the franchises but add a lot of pressure on themselves along with the added responsibilities and expectations. Although many of them live up to the expectations of the fans and the franchise owners, some fail to cope with the pressure.

Here is a list of some expensive buys over the seasons who failed to deliver for their respective teams:

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#10 Jacques Kallis (Rs 5.5 crore to KKR in 2014)

In the IPL auction 2014, Kolkata Knight Riders secured the services of one of the finest all-rounders in the world for Rs 5.5 crore. The team had released Kallis ahead of the auction but retained him using Right to Match card. Kallis who had an above average season playing for the same team in 2013, failed for KKR this time.

In the season Kallis played just 8 matches before he was dropped from the squad. He scored 151 runs in the 8 innings at an average of 25.16. Kallis scored just one fifty in the season which means he scored less than 100 runs in the other 7 innings. His performance with the ball was below par too as he took just 4 wickets at an economy of 8.45

#9 Kevin Pietersen (Rs 7 crore to RCB in 2009)

The English batsman was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for approximately Rs 7 crore in the second season of the IPL. He was the costliest player of the season along with Andrew Flintoff. Pietersen, who was one of the best batsmen in the world at that point of time, had a flop show in the season.

Pietersen could manage to score just 93 runs in 6 matches that he played in the season. He was handy with the ball picking 4 wickets at an economy of 6.53.

#8 Andrew Flintoff (Rs 7 crore to CSK in 2009)

Andrew Flintoff became the highest paid cricket in 2009 after he was bought for approximately Rs 7 crore by Chennai Super Kings. Flintoff was sold for an amount equivalent to that of his England teammate Kevin Pietersen. He was one of the best all-rounders in the world and CSK shelling out such a huge amount for him didn't come as a surprise.

Flintoff had a forgetful season as he was ruled out of the tournament after playing just 3 matches due to an injury. In the 3 matches that he played, his performance was below par as he could manage to score just 62 runs at a strike rate of 116.98 and took 2 wickets at an economy of 9.55.

#7 Saurabh Tiwary (Rs 7 crore to RCB in 2011)

An unknown commodity from Jharkhand became overnight sensation following his heroics in the 2010 season. Playing for Mumbai Indians in 2010, Saurabh Tiwary scored 419 runs in 16 matches at an average of 29.92 and a strike rate of 135.59. He was fast-tracked into Indian ODI squad, though he failed to perform.

In the IPL Auction 2011, Royal Challengers Bangalore secured his services for approximately Rs 7 crore. Saurabh Tiwary failed to emulate his previous years' performances and could manage to score just 187 runs in 16 matches.

#6 Angelo Mathews (Rs 7.5 crore to DD in 2015)

Delhi Daredevils bought Sri Lanka's then-skipper Angelo Mathews for Rs 7.5 crore. Even though Mathews had performed below par in the earlier seasons, Delhi Daredevils's betting on him left everyone surprised.

Mathews played 11 matches for the franchise in the season in which his performance was below par. He could score just 144 runs at an average of 20.57 and managed to take only 7 wickets.

#5 Irfan Pathan (Rs 8.5 crore to DD in 2011)

Irfan Pathan was bought by Delhi Daredevils for approximately Rs 8.5 crore in the IPL auction 2011. Pathan, who had a pretty decent season in 2010, had the pressure of money on him this time.

Pathan, who was known for delivering all-round match-winning performances, failed to deliver this time. He managed to score just 150 runs in 14 innings at an average of 18.75. With the ball, his performance was below par as he could take just 11 wickets.

#4 Pawan Negi (Rs 8.5 crore to DD in 2016)

Delhi Daredevils stunned everyone when they bought the youngster for a massive Rs 8.5 crore in the IPL auction 2016. Negi played for Chennai Super Kings in the 2015 edition of the league and had impressed everyone with his all-round performance.

Backed by MS Dhoni he was soon selected as a spinner in the World T20 squad. Negi played 8 matches for the Delhi side and performed poorly both with the bat and the ball. He managed to take just one wicket in the season and bowled at an economy of 9.33.

#3 Dinesh Karthik (Rs 10.5 crore to RCB in 2015)

Royal Challengers invested the money they received after releasing an expensive Yuvraj Singh in buying the wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik. Karthik who played for Delhi Daredevils in 2014 had an average season and was released by the franchise ahead of the IPL auction 2015. Bangalore team left everyone stunned after buying him for Rs 10.5 crore.

Although he was excellent behind the stumps, he fared poorly with the bat in the season as he managed to score just 141 runs in 16 matches at an average of 12.81.

#2 Tymal Mills (Rs 12 crore to RCB in 2017)

The highly talented bowler from England caught the attention of the franchise owners when he toured India in 2017 for T20 Internationals. It was not his performance but his pace variations that impressed everyone when he troubled the Indian batsmen on their home soil.

Mills's name led to a bidding war among the franchises who raised his price to more than 20 times his base price of Rs 50 lakh. Royal Challengers Bangalore finally snapped him for Rs 12 crore, the second highest paid cricketer in the auction in 2017.

Mills didn't live up to the expectations of the team as he managed to take just 5 wickets in 5 matches at an economy of 8.57. He was dropped from the squad following his below average performance in the season and went unsold in the IPL auction 2018.

#1 Yuvraj Singh (Rs 16 crore to DD in 2015)

Yuvraj Singh turned up for the Delhi Daredevils in the 2015 season after the team bought him for a whopping Rs 16 crore, the costliest player ever bought in an auction. Yuvraj Singh who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014 was released by the team ahead of the IPL auction 2015 as his performance was ordinary.

In the 2015 edition playing for Delhi, Yuvraj Singh could manage to score just 248 runs in 14 innings at an average of 19.07 and a strike rate of 118.09.