IPL 2018: Disappointing XI of the season

Lower Order

Wriddhiman Saha (wk) (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

The only regular stumper that has struggled.

Wicketkeepers have had a wonderful IPL, with the likes of Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Jos Buttler, MS Dhoni, at the top of the charts for the most runs scored in this season. Even Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik have played knocks that have made a difference for their team.

There is, however, one regular wicketkeeper that has surprisingly struggled to find his form, and he is none other than India's Test stumper Wriddhiman Saha.

Although he was never known for his ability to hit right out of the park, Saha had managed to make a name for himself, over the years, with his important knocks at vitals stages of the tournament. However, in IPL 2018, where he was part of the playing XI in first 10 matches, he only managed to score 87 runs at a strike rate of 116. Saha failed at the time when SRH middle order is struggling to find stability and form in IPL 2018.

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Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings)

Not worth retaining anymore?

The reaction that Ravindra Jadeja gave after he dismissed Virat Kohli off the first bowl totally describes his IPL 2018 season. No one, be it him, his team, or his supporters, exactly know what is happening with him right now. Once regarded as India's premier all-rounder in the limited overs format, Jadeja is even struggling to make an impact at the platform that helped him transform into the player that he was at his peak.

So far, in the 12 matches that he has played for CSK, Jadeja has failed not only with the bat, but also with the ball, and in the field. 86 runs in 14 matches is not the statistics that you expect from a player who is supposed to be your first-choice all-rounder.

To make matters worse, Jadeja has only managed to take 9 wickets, which includes a 3-wicket haul as well. It seems that CSK made a big mistake by retaining Jadeja over Ashwin.

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Axar Patel (Kings XI Punjab)

A big disappointing season for Punjab's only retention.

The team from Punjab started off with a bang in this season of IPL, and were easily the best team during the first half of IPL 2018. However, a dip in form and unusual decisions saw them fighting with 4 other teams for a spot in the playoffs.

While new acquisitions like Andrew Tye and KL Rahul have done wonders for the franchise, the same cannot be said by the team's only retention in the auctions, Axar Patel.

There were a lot of responsibilities on Patel before the start of the season, and he has failed big time to play the role of the senior all-rounder in the team. Axar only played 9 matches for the franchise, despite being a retained player, and managed to score only 80 runs with the bat.

With the ball, his stronger weapon, Axar disappointed in equal measure as he only took 3 wickets at an economy of 8.38 and average of over 73.