IPL 2018 foreigners flop XI 

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

Stokes has failed to come to the party with both, bat and ball

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.

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#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

Corey Anderson had a horrendous time this season

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.

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#8 Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians)

M:7, Runs:76, HS:28, Average:15.20, Strike Rate:108.57

Mumbai Indians' form has improved drastically since they dropped Kieron Pollard

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.

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#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

Chris Woakes failed to control the flow of runs for RCB

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.