IPL 2018: 3 players who are the key reason behind Delhi’s elimination 

Delhi Daredevils are out of the playoff contention. Daredevils’ recent defeat against the Sunrisers Hyderabad sealed their fate for the 2018 campaign. They have no chances of making it to the playoffs even if they win all of their remaining games.

It hasn’t been a good season for Delhi right from game one. They lost 5 of their first 6 games and Gambhir stepped down from captaincy. Though the second half of the season was a lot better for Daredevils, they struggled to win games despite some brilliant individual performances.

Except for Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Amit Mishra, and Rishabh Pant, none of their players made any sort of match-winning contributions. Some of their expensive signings failed to perform this season and that attributed to their downfall.

On that note, let’s take a look at the players who are the primary reason behind Delhi’s elimination.

#1 Glenn Maxwell

Maxwell failed to justify his price tag

Maxwell’s poor performances this season had a big impact on Daredevils’ miserable 2018 campaign. Delhi bought him for a whopping Rs 9 crores in the 2018 auction. He was their most expensive signing and a lot was expected from the Aussie power hitter.

However, he struggled to score runs this season, let alone win games. The 29-year-old has scored 142 runs in 10 games at an average of 14.2. His poor batting left a hole in Delhi’s middle order which no one else was able to bridge.

He was bought for the sole purpose of influencing the games single-handedly, but, Maxwell has failed to do that. His highest score in IPL 2018 is 47, showing how much he let his franchise down this season.

#2 Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir stepped down as captain just after 6 games into the season

Gautam Gambhir is arguably one of the best batsmen in IPL history. Before the start of the season, he has scored more than 4000 runs in IPL and was the third highest run-getter in IPL. He led Kolkata to two title wins and also amassed 498 runs in IPL 2017.

Delhi bought him to lead the side because of his experience and ability to score runs at the top. However, Delhi’s most experienced played failed to inspire the team. Delhi lost five of their first six games this season and Gambhir stepped down from captaincy.

His performances with the bat were really poor. The 36-year-old scored only 85 runs in 6 games at an average of 17. With a strike rate of less than 100 in the power play overs, he exerted a lot of pressure on the middle order. All in all, Gambhir’s failure has put Delhi under a huge pressure, very early in the campaign.

#3 Mohammed Shami

Shami is going through a bad patch On and Off the field

Indian pace bowlers have made a huge difference in IPL 2018 and Sunrisers Hyderabad showed it how. Delhi Daredevils bought Mohammed Shami for a huge Rs 3 crores in the 2018 auction. He was expected to lead Delhi’s pace attack as he was the only recognized Indian medium pacer in their squad.

However, things went south for the Indian pacer this season. He was involved in an off-field controversy when his wife lodged a police complaint against Shami, accusing him of a series of allegations.

Shami’s personal issues and poor form has cost Delhi Daredevils a great deal. He has played only 4 games this season and picked up three wickets at an economy rate of 10.4. He was not able to regain his best form and taken for runs. Delhi over-reliance on Shami has impacted them a lot this season and resulted in their elimination.