IPL 2019: 3 players who flopped last season but may return with a bang

Quite often we have seen IPL franchises spending a massive amount to procure a player but it eventually does not pay off.

Fans often expect a lot from players on the basis of their price tags. We take a look at 3 of the biggest flops of the previous edition of IPL who may return with a bang in the upcoming edition.

These players faltered during the IPL 2018 but are back on track and in good form now. After letting their respective teams down last time around, the onus lies on them to come up with stellar performances and justify their price tags in IPL 2019.

Without further ado, here are the three players:

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#3 Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey was procured by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs. 11 crore - a spectacular 11 times his base price of Rs. 1 crore - during the 2018 IPL auctions. He has been retained for the same price ahead of IPL 2019.

The top-order batsman failed to justify his high price tag last time around. The Nainital-born player could only manage to score 284 runs in 15 matches at a dismal average of 25.81 and a lacklustre strike rate of 115.44.

Pandey became the first Indian player to score an IPL century when he smashed an unbeaten 114 against the Deccan Chargers during the 2009 edition.

There have been high expectations from the 29-year-old ever since. He has even made sporadic appearances for the Men in Blue in ODIs and T20Is. Pandey is known to be an athletic fielder as well as an aggressive batsman.

His performance during the 2017 edition of IPL, when he was with Kolkata Knight Riders, was far superior to his previous outing. Pandey amassed 396 runs at an average of 49.50 and strike rate of 128.57. He was an important figure in helping KKR reach the semis and had finished as the 7th highest run-getter of the tournament.

The right-hand batsman has been retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs. 11 crore. Expectations will be high once again. Pandey has been in superior form as well. The Karnataka captain hit a cracking 111 off 46 deliveries against Arunachal Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He also played some sublime knocks during the Ranji Trophy.

Karnataka advanced to the Super League stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy by virtue of winning 7 out of 7 group D matches. They take on Mumbai on March 8 at the Holkar Stadium in Indore and he will once again have the opportunity to prove his mettle.

#2 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma

Quite a few of you will be surprised as to why I have included Rohit Sharma in this list. The Mumbai Indians were the Champions of the 2017 edition of IPL.

However, in the 2018 IPL, MI won 6 and lost 8 of their league matches and finished at 5th position on the table - thereby failing to make it to the playoffs. This was even after Rohit Sharma and co. won 4 of their last 6 matches of the 2018 edition.

Rohit Sharma was one of the three players who had been retained by the Mumbai-based franchise ahead of 2018 IPL. They had paid a staggering ₹15 crore to retain the services of The Hitman. However, Sharma could not do justice to his high price tag.

A Mumbai player since 2011, The Hitman has not been particularly impressive in IPL seasons 2017 and 2018. The all-time third highest run-scorer of the IPL could only manage 286 runs in 14 matches of 2018 IPL at an average of 23.83. In the 2017 edition, Rohit scored 333 runs in 17 matches - again at a dismal average of 23.78.

The stylish batsman has played a few good knocks against New Zealand recently. A more regular run with the bat can be expected from a player of his caliber. Rohit is sure to bounce back strongly in 2019 IPL.

#3 Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes during a warm-up session

Ben Stokes was the biggest buy ahead of the 2018 IPL when he fetched the exorbitant bid of ₹12.5 crores from Rajasthan Royals.

The English allrounder represented Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017 and had been named the Most Valuable Player for that edition for scoring a total of 316 and picking up 12 wickets in 12 matches.

However, Stokes proved to be a huge disappointment in IPL 2018. It was misfortunate that a player of such massive potential could only manage to pick up 8 wickets in 13 matches. His batting performance was even more apathetic as he scored just 196 runs at a meager average of 16.33.

Known to be a potent fast bowler and a destructive batsman, Stokes has shown glimpses of his ability playing for the national team in the recent past.

The player who possesses the X-factor has amassed 135 runs the 4 ODIs England played against the Windies. He also clinched a total of 5 wickets in these 4 matches. Overall, more characteristic of the kind of player Stokes is.

One can expect the talismanic all-rounder to return with a bang in 2019 IPL.

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Which other flops of the previous IPL edition do you think may make a huge impact in the coming edition? Do share your opinion in the comments section below.