IPL 2019: Opinion - Biggest liability from each team

The IPL has now reached its final stage. Mumbai Indians have qualified for the finals while CSK and DC need to win the Qualifier 2 to make it to the finals.

Now that the cash-rich league is drawing to a close, it is time to analyze each team’s performance over the season. On analyzing the players’ performances, I was able to notice that most teams had a liability player who was responsible for costing their team a chance at IPL glory.

This post points out those players who are the biggest liability for their respective teams. If there is any player that I have missed, then please voice your opinion in the comments section below.

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Kolkata Knight Riders - Prasidh Krishna

Prasidh Krishna

It’s no surprise that Kolkata Knight Riders have under performed this year. They went from sitting at the top of the points table to desperately fighting for a place in the playoffs. Apart from poor decision making, their bowling has plagued them this year.

KKR have one of the worst economy rates in the IPL this year. None of their bowlers have managed to come good for their franchise. Even their key spinners – Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav - haven’t picked up many wickets. Moreover, Kuldeep conceded 27 runs in one over against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Even KKR’s pace bowling hasn’t helped their cause. Lack of experienced pace bowlers means that Dinesh Karthik had to rely heavily on the inexperienced Prasidh Krishna and this hasn’t worked out well for them. In the 11 matches he has played this season, he (Prasidh) has only picked up 5 wickets at an economy rate of 9.34.

It’s safe to say that he hasn’t repaid Dinesh Karthik for his faith. Prasidh Krishna, despite his inexperience has been KKR’s biggest liability. On almost every occasion when he was given the ball to bowl, he has been a major let down for his team.

Kings XI Punjab - Andrew Tye

Andrew Tye

I’m a bit surprised at the way Andrew Tye has bowled this year. He was KXIP's go-to man with the ball last year and finished the season as the leading wickettaker. This year, he has been Kings XI Punjab’s biggest disappointment in the bowling department. While Mohammed Shami and Ravichandran Ashwin are picking wickets regularly, Tye has struggled to maintain his place in the playing XI.

This shows that one year can make a huge difference. Tye has gone from becoming the most feared bowler in 2018 to becoming a target for others in 2019. So far, he has played just 6 matches and has managed to pick up just 3 wickets at an economy rate of 10.59.

Tye has become more of a liability than an asset. His lack of contribution with the ball has resulted in KXIP’s exit from the cash rich league.

Sunrisers Hyderabad - Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan

I still remember the days when Yusuf Pathan was a useful finisher. He had the explosive ability to score runs in the death overs and a very impactful power game to go with it. However, his days of finishing games are far behind him. He doesn’t have it in him to just slog away. Right now, he is spending his time warming SRH’s bench.

Even when he gets a chance to play, he either doesn’t get an opportunity to bat or bowl. There was a time when Pathan would open the bowling for his team. That begs the questions, “What is he even doing in a team like SRH?” Over the years, he has gone from being a valuable asset to being a liability.

In the 10 matches he has played so far, he has only managed to score 40 runs at an average of 13.33 and a poor strike-rate of 88.88.

You can’t really blame him for his lack of involvement in the team. His age has become a pain point for him that has really restricted his athleticism. He has certainly gotten a bit slower in the field and this is clearly visible. Even in SRH’s last game against RCB, he dropped an easy catch that eventually cost them the game.

I think it’s time for franchises to bid adieu to Yusuf Pathan because at this point in his career - he is just a liability.

Mumbai Indians – Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan has been one of the most promising young players in the IPL. In fact, every year a lot is expected from him. Hence, Mumbai Indians replaced Yuvraj Singh with Ishan despite already having a wicket-keeper in the playing XI. Clearly, the MI management have a lot of faith in him.

However, he hasn't repaid the faith this year. In 6 matches he has played so far, he has managed to only score 78 runs at a strike-rate of 105.40. Batting at a prominent position like number 4, this is not expected from him. His poor batting has put a lot of unnecessary pressure on the batsmen to follow.

Moreover, he hasn't justified his selection in the playing XI. Going into the finals, MI would be better off replacing him with someone like Yuvraj Singh who was playing quite well at the start of the season. In a squad where everyone is performing quite well, Ishan Kishan has been their biggest let down on their road to the final.

Delhi Capitals – Colin Ingram

Colin Ingram

Delhi Capitals have been one of the strongest teams this season. Their top order batsmen have been getting them off to great starts and their bowling attack spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada have picked up wickets consistently.

When a team is performing so well, it’s almost hard to pinpoint exactly who is their weakest link. But, if I have to pick one player, I would pick Colin Ingram.

At the start of the season, it looked like Ingram was a fantastic choice for the Delhi franchise. However, once the games began it became quite clear that there isn’t any place for Colin Ingram in the playing XI. Rishabh is the favored number 4 batsman for DC and it may remain that way for some time.

This means that Colin Ingram will have to bat at number 5 which is a struggle for the South African batsman. He is not someone who could come in to bat in the last four overs of the match and hammer every ball in sight.

This is also quite clearly visible in his performances. In 11 games he has played this season, he has only managed to score 172 runs at an average of 19.11. DC should replace with a more explosive number 5 like Sherfane Rutherford.

Rajasthan Royals - Dhawal Kulkarni

Dhawal Kulkarni

Rajasthan Royals have had quite a few players who have under performed for them this season. But none was worse than Dhawal Kulkarni. I’ll admit it was a tough decision to pick between Dhawal Kulkarni and Jaydev Unadkat, but Unadkat has been performing well recently and that has kept him off this list.

On the other hand, Kulkarni’s performances haven’t improved at all. He has consistently struggled to pick up wickets and has been very expensive with the ball. In the 10 matches he has played so far, Kulkarni has picked up just 6 wickets at an economy rate of 9.57. Sadly, Rajasthan Royals don’t have many experienced Indian pacers and have had to rely on Dhawal Kulkarni who has been a major let down.

I won’t be surprised if this is Kulkarni’s last year with the franchise. He has been one of their biggest liabilities that has left RR feeling handicapped with their bowling options.

Chennai Super Kings - Shane Watson

Shane Watson

Shane Watson was a hero for the Chennai Super Kings last year when he scored a brilliant hundred in the final. But what a difference a year can make. This year, we have seen Watson struggle to score many runs for CSK. He did get close to scoring a hundred this year, but has struggled for the better part of the tournament.

In a team that is performing so well, Shane Watson’s poor performances stick out like a sore thumb. Surely, CSK expect him to perform at a much higher level. Watson has scored just 268 runs from 15 matches at an average of 17.86.

But it isn’t just his batting that is the problem. Watson has given up bowling which means that Dhoni is left with one less bowling option. He has also gotten quite slow in the field. With age and fitness being a prime concern, Watson has now become one of CSK’s biggest liabilities.

Royal Challengers Bangalore - Tim Southee

Tim Southee

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s story has been similar to Rajasthan Royals. They started the tournament poorly and have just really under performed. Like always, one of their biggest let-downs was their bowling.

When talking about their bowlers, two bowlers have been RCB’s biggest let down – Mohammed Siraj and Tim Southee.

When picking the biggest liability, I’ll have to go with Southee considering his experience. Southee was retained by RCB despite his poor performances last year. The thought process behind that decision was to strengthen RCB’s death bowling. Even cricket experts were calling for Southee’s inclusion in the playing XI right from the start of the tournament.

This decision quickly backfired as Southee was hammered for runs. In the three matches he played, Southee only picked up one wicket and was expensive at an economy rate of 13.11. Clearly, his experience wasn’t good enough to stop the flow of runs.

Southee’s performance was disappointing because it put a lot of unnecessary pressure on the rest of the inexperienced bowlers. My opinion is that RCB should just release Tim Southee and find another overseas bowler who can be lethal towards the backend of the innings.