IPL 2018: Biggest Flops from each of the 8 Teams

Indian Premier League's 11th season kick-started in Mumbai on April 7th with much fanfare and cricket fans from across the world are enjoying the on-field action now. This season promises to be the most exciting one with plenty of players changing their teams and with each team having a number of new faces.

The coaches and owners of the 8 teams tried to assemble a team which would win them the coveted title. The team management in their search for an ideal combination has spent a huge amount of money on certain players which have turned out to be a mistake in the hindsight.

Each team has several players who had a lot riding on them, while some have managed to live up to the expectations some have faltered badly. Let's take a look at the biggest flop from each of the 8 teams.

Rajasthan Royals- Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes was one of the star players of the Rising Pune Super Giants side which managed to reach the finals of the 2017 edition. He was adjudged the most valuable player of the year in IPL in 2017.

Stokes was bought for a huge price in 2017 as well but he managed to justify his price tag in that edition and it was therefore considered that he is capable of dishing out impressive performance despite his heavy price tag.

2018 edition has turned out to be a disaster for the Rajasthan Royals as both their high priced buys are struggling. Stokes has scored just 147 runs in 6 matches and has picked up just a single wicket at an average of 148 and an economy rate of 11.

Delhi Daredevils- Chris Morris

Morris was retained by Delhi for a price of Rs 15 Crores

Chris Morris is amongst the best All-rounders in modern day cricket at least in the shortest format of the game. He had performed brilliantly in the IPL last year for Delhi and is a regular member of the South African side as well.

Morris has the ability to single-handedly win the game for his side with both bat and ball. He is a finisher with the bat and he bowls in the death overs for the side he plays for. He performs the most critical role in both batting and bowling with ease and hence the price which Delhi paid was justified.

Morris's performance though has been a shadow of his past performances. He has scored just 46 runs in 4 matches and has picked up just 3 wickets at an average of 48 and an economy rate of 10.

Kings X1 Punjab- Aaron Finch

Finch has struggled throughout the tournament this year

Aaron Finch is one of the best openers in T20 Cricket at present and is a quality player in any position in the batting order. He played brilliantly for the Gujarat Lions last year in the middle order and was expected to continue his run this year as well.

Finch is a big hitter of the ball and prefers to open the batting for the teams he plays for. He opens the innings for Australia but with the presence of Gayle, Rahul and Mayank Agarwal it is extremely difficult to get a spot in the top order.

Finch's performance in this year's IPL has been pathetic, to say the least as he has scored just 24 runs in 6 matches at an average of 6. He has failed this year on some important occasions and a rash shot which ended his innings against SRH at a time when his team was struggling would have definitely disappointed the owners of the Punjab team.

Sunrisers Hyderabad- Manish Pandey

The only bright aspect of Pandey this year has been his fielding

Manish Pandey is one of the most talented players in Indian cricket at present and he is also a part of the Indian team in the shorter formats of the game.He plays in the middle order and was one of the most sought-after players in the Auctions.

He was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad with great expectations as he was the only solid middle-order batsman in their entire squad. He is their most important player in their middle order but he has time and again let down his side this year.

The only worthy knock that he played against Kings X1 Punjab also involved three drop catches. He has scored just 142 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 113. He has failed for the team on important occasions and is one of the main reasons as to why Hyderabad are worrying about their batting.

Kolkata Knight Riders- Mitchell Johnson

Johnson has been expensive throughout the season

Mitchell Johnson was one of the most feared bowlers in International cricket at his peak. He single-handedly ran through multiple batting attacks at his prime and his bowling in the Ashes was particularly impressive.

Johnson though is just a pale shadow of his past and is definitely below standard in this year's IPL. He once had the ability to ball at a pace of high 140Km/hr and 150Km/hr but now he mostly bowls in the 130s and is struggling in the middle.

Johnson has picked only two wickets in 3 matches at an average of 51 and a strike rate of 9. He has leaked runs in the final overs and has been way too expensive for KKR's comfort.

Royal Challengers Bangalore- Sarfraz Khan

Sarfraz Khan doesn't even find a place in the Playing X1

Sarfraz Khan was among one of the three players who was retained by RCB before this year's auction. He was retained ahead of the likes of KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Yuzvendra Chahal and Shane Watson.

Sarfraz played brilliantly for the Bangalore side in the 2016 season as he finished off multiple innings for his side and was one of the finds of the season. He is a young guy and is one of the most talented players in Indian cricket at present.

Sarfraz this year though has had to handle expectations which were way beyond what his age could handle. He has just played in three matches this year and has scored only 11 runs for his side.

Mumbai Indians- Kieron Pollard

This season has been the worst one for Pollard

Kieron Pollard played his first season for Mumbai Indians in 2010 and is one of the few players who has played only for one franchise. He was retained by Mumbai Indians on multiple occasions because of his impressive performances.

Pollard initially played for Mumbai Indians as an All-rounder as he used to bowl important overs in the middle overs and he played the role of a finisher with the bat. This year though he is playing just as a batsman and he isn't being used as a bowler.

The West Indian All-rounder has scored just 63 runs in 6 matches at an average of 16 and a strike rate of 110. He has let down the team on multiple occasions and the team may now even be looking to leave him out of the Playing X1.

Chennai Super Kings- Ravindra Jadeja

Retaining Jadeja ahead of Ashwin might be a huge mistake committed by CSK

Ravindra Jadeja played his first season for Chennai Super Kings in 2012 and has been with the side since then. He was retained by the Chennai side ahead of Ashwin, McCullum and Du Plessis because of his All-round abilities.

Jadeja is been struggling this year and this year has definitely been the worst year that he ever had in IPL. Jadeja is predominantly a bowler but he isn't getting to bowl many overs for his side because it has a number of spinners in the side and Dhoni can do without his bowling.

Jadeja has been sent ahead of Bravo on multiple occasions and he was even sent ahead of Dhoni in one game but he has struggled with the bat throughout the season. He has just scored 47 runs in 6 matches at an average of 15 and has bowled just 10 overs and has a solitary wicket to his name.