IPL 2019: 6 Players who have lost their charm in recent times

The Indian Premier League has more or less become a festival in India since its inception way back in 2008. In the journey of 11 seasons thus far, we have witnessed over a thousand cricketers taking part in it.

Some cricketers, who were once at the peak of their careers, couldn't remain at the top forever. There are many cricketers who went from being at the top of their game, to struggling for a place in the side.

We have witnessed the decline of players like Shaun Marsh, Kevin Pietersen, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Pragyan Ojha, Irfan Pathan and many more, who once hit peak form during their IPL career. After all, cricket is about 'survival of the consistent'.

Here is a list of 6 such cricketers who lost their charm in the past few years of this T20 extravaganza.

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#6 Harbhajan Singh

One of the most entertaining cricketers in the Indian cricket history, Harbhajan Singh used to be a part of the Mumbai Indians franchise since the inception of IPL, before joining Chennai Super Kings last year.

There have been ups and downs in the 38-year-old's IPL career of 149 matches, where he has picked up 134 wickets. But for the last 3 years, Bhajji's performance curve has taken a dip drastically.

The legendary off-spinner has only managed to get 24 scalps from his last 38 games. In addition to that, his economy rose to over eight in these seasons, which used to be under seven on most of the occasions.

In the current CSK setup, there are spinners aplenty viz. Ravindra Jadeja, Imran Tahir, Mitchell Santner and Karn Sharma to name a few, besides Bhajji himself.

It will be interesting to see how the veteran adapts to the conditions and brings the better out of himself.

#5 Piyush Chawla

Chawla has 140 IPL wickets under his belt

Piyush Chawla came into existence as a teen sensation, who was considered a talented leg-spinner. He made his international debut for India at the age of just 17, two years before the launch of IPL.

The 30-year-old has been a consistent player in the T20 tournament, mostly operating his leggies in the middle overs. He was engaged in a significant role for his first franchise Kings XI Punjab, where he carried their bowling burden most of the times.

But since the last few years, his numbers and especially his ability to bowl tight overs has declined. The presence of a T20 specialist in Sunil Narine, who is in the same lineup, might be a factor, as the batsmen have struggled to score against him and thereby found the UP spinner as their easier scoring option.

In the upcoming season, Chawla might have to work hard to find his rhythm, especially considering the rise of Kuldeep Yadav over the last few months.

#4 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin led Kings XI Punjab in the last season

One of the backbones of the Chennai Super Kings bowling attack for years, Ravichandran Ashwin has been struggling since his separation from the yellows.

The 32-year-old, who used to pick 15 wickets on an average in the entire season, has pushed around with only 10 in each of his last three. Although his economy rate has still remained on the better side, his ability to fox the batsmen with his variations has sunk.

The Tamil Nadu cricketer's downfall has even put a mark on his international white ball career, which came to standstill in 2017.

Ashwin recognized the same and perhaps developed his leg spins during the 2018 edition, which turned out to be ineffective. The never-die attitude that he possesses, and his uncanny nature will make it interesting to see what he might bring to the table in the upcoming season.

#3 Amit Mishra

Mishra is 9 wickets away to take the lead in wicket charts

Yet another Indian spinner on the list, Amit Mishra has also displayed insufficiency over the past few years. The combination of big leg breaks and the subtle wrong ones, which worked quite well for him over the years, is no more a big deal for the batsmen.

The Delhi-born spinner has been the most successful Indian bowler in the history of IPL, considering the number of wickets in his kitty, with 146 scalps so far. In his journey, Mishra has added a mind-boggling three hat-tricks to his name.

Over the past few years, the 36-year-old leggie has struggled to create the same impact and has seemed to lose his vintage shape. Delhi Capitals might have observed the same regarding Mishra, and roped in the Nepal sensation Sandeep Lamichhane to groom him for the future.

Considering the restrictions to foreign resources, Mishra might still find himself in the side for the 2019 edition.

#2 Yusuf Pathan

Pathan failed to score a single fifty in the last season

Yusuf Pathan, who once scored the fastest IPL century, has found himself on the list that no one would desire to be in.

His batting has relied upon his strength to muscle the ball over the fence while batting in the middle order, mostly at the fag end of the innings. But in recent times, the 36-year-old has lost his ability to turn up the music on a consistent basis, who is at the tail end of his influential career.

To back it with numbers, Pathan's strike rate has declined to under 130 in the past two seasons, which is mediocre when compared to his career SR of 144. Though he has been a part of the final XI on most occasions for his franchises, he doesn't show the same sharpness as before.

In the upcoming season, it will be interesting to see how Sunrisers Hyderabad make use of the current abilities that he possesses.

#1 Faf du Plessis

Du Plessis has been a part of IPL since 2012

The South African batsman, who consistently scored runs at the top for the yellows, has struggled to even find a place in the XI in recent times. The dearth of accelerating skills has perhaps taken a toll on him.

Having played 59 matches in the IPL, he managed to play only 14 over the last three years due to his lost batting charm. The 34-year-old has pulled off some matches for his team, but he has lacked constancy.

Chennai Super Kings have found gems in their top order, who scored the bulk of their runs in 2018, thereby making the Protea's case weaker. Moreover, their middle order looks settled with Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and the returning Kedar Jadhav.

In the upcoming season, Faf is expected to warm benches for CSK due to the presence of more established openers and a power-packed middle order.