IPL 2019: 3 Players who deserved to be in the playoffs

With the conclusion of the league stage, IPL 2019 is all set for the playoffs. The top four teams in the points table - Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad - will battle it out in playoffs to get their hands on the coveted trophy.

These teams put up quite a stellar show in the league stage and did very well as a unit. On the other hand, the bottom four teams couldn't come together as a team and were more dependent on individuals; that was one of the main reasons why they couldn't win the important moments that truly mattered.

That said, there were many players who performed extremely well but could not help their team to finish in the top four as they didn't get enough support from other players. Here, we take a look at three such players who deserved to be a part of the playoffs but have instead been sent packing from the tournament for no fault of their own:

---

#3 Shreyas Gopal

Shreyas Gopal (picture courtesy: BCCI/iplt20.com)

Shreyas Gopal was easily the biggest positive for Rajasthan Royals this IPL. The leg-spinner emerged as one of the best bowlers for the Royals as he did exceedingly well with the ball throughout the league stage.

Gopal was effective in the powerplays as well as in the middle overs with his sharp leg spin. He took 20 wickets from 14 matches at an impressive average of 17.35 and an economy rate of 7.22, and was by far the highest wicket-taker for his team. He also took a hat-trick, in the away match against RCB.

Despite his brilliant outing this season, Gopal could not take his team to the playoffs as he did not get enough support from the other players. Rajasthan Royals finished at a disappointing 7th place on the points table.

Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on 2019 purple cap, points table, schedule, news, live scores, orange cap and fantasy tips.

#2 KL Rahul

KL Rahul (picture courtesy: BCCI/iplt20.com)

After doing well in the first half of the season, Kings XI Punjab again lost their way in the second half - just like last season. They eventually finished 6th in the points table.

One of the main reasons behind Punjab's poor run was their over-dependence on individuals, and KL Rahul was one of them.

Rahul might not have been as destructive as he was in the 2018 season but he was very consistent throughout the league stage. The stylish right-handed batsman scored 593 runs from 14 innings at an impressive average of 53.90 and a decent strike rate of 135.38. He also scored 6 fifties and a hundred,

At the end of the league stage Rahul was KXIP's highest scorer, while also occupying the second spot in the overall Orange Cap list. Considering his stupendous performance for the second year running, he surely deserved to be in the playoffs.

#1 Andre Russell

Andre Russell (picture courtesy: BCCI/iplt20.com)

Andre Russell proved to be an excellent all-rounder for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2019. He was in red hot form in the tournament, especially with the bat, as he took his power hitting to a whole new level.

In spite of batting lower down the order in most of the matches, the explosive right-handed batsman scored 510 runs from 13 innings at an excellent average of 56.66 and an astonishing strike rate of 204.81. His strike rate was the highest among all the batsmen at the end of the league stage.

Russell also did well with the ball as he picked up 11 wickets from 14 matches at an average of 26.09 and a strike rate of 16.45.

Russell's heroics were not enough for KKR as they could not qualify for the playoffs. But his presence and swashbuckling hitting will surely be missed in the playoffs.