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The IPL provides a platform for the best players from around the world to come and showcase their talent.
Right from the young, uncapped Indian players to the overseas players, the colossal league provides an ideal platform for everyone to excel. The Indian Premier League is one of the most captivating and glamorous T20 leagues in the world.
With some of the best foreign players plying their trade in the league, we expect blockbuster performances from the international stars. However, a few of them have struggled to impress with their performances in the tournament this year.
In this article, we take a look at the IPL Foreigners Flop XI of the 2018 edition.
Openers
#1 D'Arcy Short
Matches:7, Runs:115, HS:44, Average:16.42, Strike Rate:116.16
D'Arcy Short took the BBL by storm at the start of the year as he ended up as the leading run-scorer with 572 runs for the finalist Hobart Hurricanes. He was destined to be a big buy at the auction this year, and Rajasthan Royals swamped in to include him in their squad for ₹4 crore. He also got his first call-up to the Australian T20I team, and he impressed with two fifties in his first 5 matches.
Short had an unfortunate start to his IPL career after his first two innings were brought to an end following the mix-ups with skipper Ajinkya Rahane. However, his fortunes never changed as he was unable to translate his BBL success into runs in the IPL. His struggles against spin become clear very quickly and teams began to use spin to stop him from scoring freely and this cost the Royals crucial runs in the Power-play overs.
Short's inclusion in the team also meant that Heinrich Klassen, the South African who had impressed during India's tour to South Africa had to sit out when he might have been the better bet to counter the challenges that the spinners posed in this tournament.
#2 Colin Munro
Matches:5 Runs:63HS:33 Average:12.60 Strike Rate:153.65
Delhi Daredevils was praised for their astute buy of Colin Munro for just ₹1.9 crore. The no.2 ranked T20I batsman in the world had been in sparkling form at the start of the year and his purchase was heralded as the 'Bargain Buy of the season'.
However, the New Zealand opener failed to set the world alight and his poor showings rubbed onto his team's poor performances this season.
Expected to provide his team with blistering starts at the top, Munro failed to replicate his international success into knocks of substance in the IPL. The Kiwi all-rounder was a massive disappointment with the bat as his shot selection was pretty poor.
This adversely affected his team as they were consigned to a bottom-place finish. He wasn't used well enough as a bowler and that resulted in him being dropped from the team for Jason Roy, who also incidentally has failed to perform this season.
Middle Order
#3 Brendon McCullum (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Matches:6 Runs:127 HS:43 Average:21.16 Strike Rate:144.31
Brendon McCullum, without a shadow of a doubt, was one of the most destructive players at his peak. However, this season, we saw the initial signs of rustiness enter into his batting. Picked to start in an all-star batting quartet comprising Kohli, de Villiers and de Kock, McCullum would have been expected to provide blistering starts for the strong RCB batting line-up.
However, McCullum looked scratchy during his stays at the crease. Though he had few good starts, he failed to convert them into match-defining scores. He struggled to adapt to conditions and was rightly dropped from the team after a series of poor scores.
A lack of quality Indian bowlers meant that Kohli had to look beyond McCullum to beef up his bowling attack with foreign bowlers. This left the former New Zealand skipper on the bench towards the latter stages of the tournament.
#4 Glen Maxwell (Delhi Daredevils)
Matches:12 Runs:169 HS:49 Average:14.08 Strike Rate:140.83
Glenn Maxwell was bought by Delhi Daredevils for a massive price of ₹9 crore after Kings XI Punjab decided not to retain him. Being the no.3 ranked batsman and no.1 ranked all-rounder in T20I and coming into the tournament in sizzling form, expectations would have been extremely high on Maxwell.
The Big Show, however, failed to deliver for his side and this is one of the major reasons for their position at the bottom of the table. Apart from a quick-fire 47 in a losing cause against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Maxwell failed to come up with substantial scores to help his team's cause. He appeared lost in most matches and the fire was missing in him.
It is, therefore, a massive surprise that Delhi decided to persist with the Big Show for the entire season, purely based on reputation, despite numerous disappointing performances.
#5 Aaron Finch (Kings XI Punjab)
Matches:10 Runs:134 HS:46* Average:16.75 Strike Rate:134
Aaron Finch, the no.4 ranked T20I batsman in the world was bought by Kings XI Punjab at an expensive cost of ₹6.2 crore at the auction to be their first choice opener. But the Australian had an absolutely dismal IPL season this year.
Batting in an unusual spot in the middle order, Finch began this IPL with golden ducks in each of his first two knocks. A promotion to his favoured opening spot in Chris Gayle's injury absence also failed to pay dividends as he was dismissed for just twp runs off four balls.
In a crucial fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad, when Kings XI Punjab were embroiled in a tricky chase of 132, with wickets falling at both ends, it was expected that Finch would bat responsibly to take his side home.
However, after smashing a six off Shakib, Finch went for another hoick the next ball and found himself caught in the deep. Most certainly not the maturity expected from Australia's newly appointed T20I captain.
Finch was recalled back into the side after being dropped for a few games. He came back and scored a few runs, but they proved to be inconsequential as Punjab failed to qualify for the playoffs after losing the final 5 matches in a row.
All-rounders
#6 Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals)
M:13, Runs:196, HS:45, Average:16.33, Strike Rate:121.73
Wickets:8, Average:37.87, Economy Rate:8.18, Strike Rate:27.7
As expected, Ben Stokes ended up as the costliest player at the auction yet again, just like he did last year. After a long-drawn bidding war, Rajasthan Royals finally got their prized asset for a staggering ₹12.5 crore. The English all-rounder was the Most Valuable Player last season and he was expected to play a major part in the Royals' success this year.
The English all-rounder came into the tournament with limited match practice having been temporarily suspended from international cricket due to his involvement in a post-match brawl. That rustiness was clearly visible in both, batting and bowling. Though ran in and bowled at a good pace from the first game, he failed to establish any sort of control.
In 29 overs across the first 10 innings, he picked up just three wickets, conceding runs at over nine per over. It was only towards the end of the campaign, that he brought some consistency into his bowling as he contributed to the Royals' late charge with economical spells along with a few wickets to his name.
His batting though was a major letdown throughout the season. Though he came up with a few useful contributions, he failed to convert them into substantial match-winning scores as expected from one of the most important players in the tournament. Stokes ended the season as one of the biggest flops of this year's tournament.
#7 Corey Anderson (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
M:3, Runs:17, HS:15, Average:5, Strike Rate:77.27
Wickets:3, Average:38.33, Economy Rate:13.26, Strike Rate:17.3
Royal Challengers Bangalore decided to replace their front-line pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile with Corey Anderson. Corey Anderson, who went unsold in the auction, was one of the top T20 all-rounders in the world a couple of years back. However, a spate of injuries has seen a drastic drop in Anderson's fitness and form.
The Kiwi all-rounder is probably one of the worst buys of the season. He had an inauspicious start to his RCB career as he was dismissed for a golden duck in his first game against Mumbai Indians after he conceded 47 runs with the ball. His third match against Chennai Super Kings is likely to be the worst game of his career.
In a high-scoring 200+ game, he crawled to two runs off eight balls, even playing a maiden off Dwayne Bravo. With the ball, he was trusted to defend the target at the death, but MS Dhoni climbed onto him and Anderson ended up conceding 58 runs in 3.4 overs and the match too to CSK.
After such a horrendous showing, Corey Anderson was banished out of the team for good.
#8 Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians)
M:7, Runs:76, HS:28, Average:15.20, Strike Rate:108.57
Kieron Pollard has been one of Mumbai Indians' best players over the years. However, it seems like the management made a mistake in retaining him to maintain the nucleus of the side. Pollard looked a pale shadow of his former self as it seems like age has caught up with him.
The West Indian was unable to perform at the level he did for the last few seasons. The West Indian all-rounder looked absolutely anonymous, as he did not contribute with either bat or ball. Mumbai Indians suffered early on in the season because Pollard was unable to provide the late flourish fans were accustomed to seeing.
He could not be provided blistering finishes to the batting and just managed to crawl to 76 runs off 70 balls in 6 innings. Shockingly, Pollard wasn't been handed the ball even once in the first seven games. Though he has been safe on the field, his fielding hasn't been up to his usual high standards.
Rohit Sharma sensed that keeping Pollard on the basis of sentiment would hinder his team progress. Pollard was dropped after seven games, and there was been a clear improvement in results since that decision. He was brought into the team in the penultimate match of the season and he came up with a match-winning performance. But in a must-win fixture in their final game, Pollard disappointed again.
#9 Chris Woakes (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
M:5, Runs:17, HS:11, Average:8.5, Strike Rate:89.47
Wickets:8, Average:23.75, Economy Rate:10.36, Strike Rate:13.7
Woakes had an impressive debut campaign in the previous IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders where he picked up 17 wickets in 13 games, and this led to a bidding war at this year's auction. The English all-rounder was ultimately signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore for ₹7.4 crore, a huge-sum invested on the Englishman.
Woakes was average with the ball this year. Though he picked up eight wickets, he leaked runs at an economy rate of 10.36 runs per over. Moreover, most of his wickets came in the last few balls of his spell when the damage was already done.
The Englishman was also unimpressive with the bat. He failed to provide the late flourish required in the game against KKR. Chasing a humongous score and with skipper Kohli batting besides him, Woakes was unable to raise the tempo to the necessary standards to make a fist of the target.
Woakes was dropped after just five games and he spent his time on the bench for the rest of the season. RCB spent a massive amount on a player who spent most of the time on the bench.
Bowlers
#10 Mitchell Johnson (Kolkata Knight Riders)
M:6, Wickets:2, Average:108, Economy Rate:10.28, Strike Rate:63
One of the most feared bowlers in his heydays, Mitchell Johnson looked a pale shadow of himself in IPL 2018. Johnson was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders on the basis of his experience and the X-factor he provides. With countryman Mitchell Starc ruled out of the tournament, Johnson was expected to lead the Knight Riders pace attack.
However, Johnson was one of the worst bowlers in this tournament and it was truly painful watching him run up to the crease this way. His pace hovered around the mid 130s, a stark difference to what it was when he was at his peak. He was lined up easily by most batsmen and they all managed to put his bowling to the sword. His bowling reminded fans of the painful Ashes Tour of 2009 in England.
It seems like Johnson's career might have come to a painful end and it probably is the last we've seen of him in India.
#11 Imran Tahir (Chennai Super Kings)
M:6, Wickets:6, Average:31.33, Economy Rate:9.09, Strike Rate:20.6
Imran Tahir is one of the top spinners in the T20 format and hence it was a massive surprise that Chennai Super Kings acquired him at his base price of ₹1 crore. Fans expected him to start on the bench due to the variety of Indian spinners they possess in the ranks. However, the management decided to start with him in the eleven as he provides them with an attacking option.
The leggie who stifles the batsman with his googlies and quicker ones has had a mixed season, but a mediocre one for his high standards.
He put in a match-winning display against Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he dismissed a rampaging AB de Villiers. But apart from that, he produced few poor displays in which he failed to pick up wickets and he conceded runs at a high rate.
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