IPL 2018: One player from each team who has disappointed the most

The 2018 IPL has seen all the teams play at least three rounds of their matches and most of the teams must have figured out their strategies by now.

Sunrisers Hyderabad are sitting at the top of the table with six points followed by Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals with four points each.

Mumbai Indians recently opened their account and are in the sixth position ahead of the struggling Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Every team has a player or two who is spearheading their team's attack.

At the same time, there are players who have been disappointing so far and team managements would want them to hit purple patch sooner rather than later. Let us take a look at a player from each team who has been disappointing in the 2018 IPL.

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CSK - Ravindra Jadeja

As an ardent supporter of Chennai Super Kings, this is something that has been in the back of my mind for a while. What was the reason behind retaining Ravindra Jadeja instead of R Ashwin ahead of the 2018 IPL auction?

The all-rounder has hardly bowled in the IPL - only three overs in the first three matches combined and with the bat, he has registered scores of 12 off 13, 11* off 7 and 19 off 13. The only thing of note he has done so far with the bat is hitting the match-winning six during the last over bowled by Vinay Kumar against Kolkata Knight Riders.

All this despite the fact that he has been batting ahead of the in-form Dwayne Bravo in the batting order. The team management should address his role at the earliest as his form as an all-rounder has been a worry for the team in the tournament.

DD - Shreyas Iyer

Has the retention pressurized the youngster?

Shreyas Iyer is another retained player who has failed to live up to his expectations in 2018 IPL. To be fair, he hasn't been given enough time and a proper position in the batting order to prove himself.

He scored an unbeaten 27 to take his team home against Mumbai Indians but apart from that, he has managed to score a combined total of 15 runs in the three innings he played in the tournament.

Iyer is someone who can't be kept quiet for long and the Delhi team management will expect him to find form at the earliest.

KXIP - Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh has started yet another season in an off-colour manner

Around a decade back, Yuvraj Singh was one of the most sought-after players in T20s as he was one of the heroes of India's 2007 World T20 win. Yuvraj had the gift of timing along with power and he was a force to reckon with in the format.

But, over the last few years, he has dropped down the pecking order and now, the southpaw can't even manage to score at run-a-ball. 36 runs in three innings at a strike-rate of less than 100 is something we usually don't associate with Yuvraj but this is how he has fared in the ongoing IPL. Adding to that, he has been a liability on the field.

The Kings XI Punjab side have a better replacement in the form of Manoj Tiwary, who has been warming the bench so far this season. With R Ashwin taking some bold calls as a captain, it won't be a surprise if Yuvraj is made to sit out for Tiwary in the coming games.

KKR - Chris Lynn

Chris Lynn is expected to fire at the earliest

Over the last few years, the middle-order batsman from Queensland, Australia, has established himself as a big-hitting opening batsman and one of the most sought-after players in the format.

Chris Lynn has the ability to turn the game in a matter of few balls and that is exactly the reason why he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2018 IPL for a whopping 9.8 crores.

Unfortunately, Lynn injured his shoulder and after coming back, he hasn't been the same. He has been getting starts but is failing to convert them into big knocks. His six-hitting ability has also been on the wane and the Knight Riders will hope that he is be back to his best at the earliest.

MI - Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard hasn't been at his best so far

Kieron Pollard has been Mumbai Indians' pillar of strength for the past eight years and the franchise kept the emotional connect he shares with the team in mind and retained him using the RTM card during the IPL auction.

However, the Trinidadian has failed to turn up and has been a liability with the bat so far in the tournament. His scores of 28, 5 and 0 in three innings and the way he has given away his wicket show that he hasn't been in a rich vein of form.

RR - D'Arcy Short

D'Arcy Short has failed at the top of the RR batting order

One of the success stories of 2017-18 BBL was Hobart Hurricanes' opening batsman D'Arcy Short. He ended up as the tournament's leading run scorer with 572 runs and almost took his side to glory at the end. His ability to bowl left-arm chinaman was a bonus to the team as well.

Short was destined to get an IPL contract this year and Rajasthan Royals were quick to poach him in the IPL auction. Unfortunately, the left-hander couldn't replicate his BBL success in the first three matches he has played in the tournament. He has scored a combined total of 21 runs and has picked up just a solitary wicket in three games.

Time is running out for Short as Heinrich Klaasen is waiting in the wings to grab the opportunity.

RCB - Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz Khan's temperament has been a concern

When Royal Challengers Bangalore retained Sarfaraz Khan instead of Chris Gayle, KL Rahul and Yuzvendra Chahal ahead of the 2018 IPL auction, it came as a shock to many. The youngster was coming back from an injury and was still retained ahead of those experienced campaigners.

A lot was expected from Khan, but the right-hander has failed to live up to his expectations in the tournament so far. The way he has been throwing his wicket away shows that the 20-year-old has not been temperamentally sound.

His form has been a worry for RCB and knowing the talent he possesses, skipper Virat Kohli will expect Khan to regain his mojo at the earliest.

SRH - Manish Pandey

Kane Williamson will want Manish to start contributing with the bat

Manish Pandey was one of the four players and three Indians who fetched more than 10 crores in the 2018 IPL auction as he was sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping 11 crores.

The right-hander has been a live wire for the table-toppers but his form with the bat has been a worry for the Orange Army. He has failed in both the innings he played and was off-colour on both the occasions.

In spite of him not contributing with the bat, the Sunrisers are sitting at the top of the table. Kane Williamson will want Manish to start contributing with the bat as well, so that his team will become a force to reckon with.