IPL 2019: Five players who need to perform better than last season

We are in the month of March and its time for the biggest T20 league in the world. The Indian Premier League is back for the 12th season and it promises to only get bigger and more exciting. There is always a buzz around the competition, however, this time we might see some different things in this new season. The World Cup is scheduled to start just days the IPL finishes and many key overseas players will leave early for national duties. Hence, it’s a great opportunity for young Indians to make a name for themselves. The teams with quality domestic players will be in good stead even after the overseas players leave.

Last year we saw some quality T20 cricket in the IPL and one expects the same this year. Having said that, every year there are a few players who are unable to perform to their full potential. This happens due to a variety of reasons like niggles, injuries, and loss of form. Even last season there were many players who were below par in their performance and would like to give a better showing this year. Let’s have a look at five such players.

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#5 Washington Sundar (RCB)

Sundar lacked control with the ball in the 2018 season

Washington Sundar was picked by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for ₹3.2 Crore in the last season's auction after his impressive performance in 2017 for the Rising Pune Supergiant. In between the two IPL seasons, he even got the chance to play for India and did extremely well. Sundar won the man of the Series award in the Nidahas Trophy for his economical bowling.

He is one of those spinners who will bowl tight lines and does not turn the ball much. These type of spinners are used to bowl in the powerplay and RCB clearly bought for that purpose. He was asked to bowl in the early overs at the Chinnaswamy stadium but unfortunately for Virat Kohli, he failed to deliver. In the seven matches which he played, he picked up only four wickets that too at an economy rate of 9.60. He did score some cameos with the bat but his bowling hurt the team It was a disappointing season for the all-rounder from Tamil Nadu and he will look to play in the upcoming season.

#4 Jaydev Unadkat (RR)

Jaydev Unadkat failed to replicate his terrific performance of the 2017 season

Jaydev Unadkat had a dream season with the Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017. He was a key member of the team which reached the final under Steve Smith's captaincy. Due to his sensational performance in the tenth edition, he was picked by the Rajasthan Royals for a whopping ₹11 Crore in 2018.

He even earned a recall to the Indian team in between the two seasons. While he performed well against Sri Lanka at home but struggled in South Africa and in the Nidahas Trophy. Royals fans were hoping that he would pick from where he left for Pune last year but it looked like, there was a different bowler bowling. He didn’t perform anyone close to his level in 2017. He struggled throughout the season and picked up only 11 wickets in the 15 games at an expensive economy rate of 9.65. It looked the pressure of the price tag got him. Despite releasing him, Royals bought him once again for ₹8.4 Crore and will need him to play at his best this season.

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#3 Kieron Pollard (MI)

Kieron Pollard was dropped midway through the tournament

It was once said that the game is not over until Kieron Pollard is out but in the last season that did seem the case. Over the years, we have seen what Pollard is capable of. He can change a match single-handedly in just a few balls. However, in the 2018 IPL season, he looked horribly out of form. Pollard is known to win his team three or four matches on his own every season but that did not happen even once last year. He was dropped midway through the tournament for Ben Cutting.

Although, Pollard was at his destructive best in the CPL as he scored his maiden T20 hundred. Mumbai Indians fans will hope that he carries that form into the IPL this year. He scored just 133 runs last year at an average of 19.00 and would definitely like to do better this year. The 31- year-old would be desperate to show everybody that he still has it in him to perform at the highest level.

2. Ben Stokes (RR)

Ben Stokes failed to perform with the bat as well as the ball

Ben Stokes was the Player of the Tournament in the 2017 season when he played for the Rising Pune Supergiant Looking at his terrific performance, he was once again the most expensive player in the auction as he was purchased for ₹12.5 Crores. However, just like Unadkat, the Stokes which turned up for the Rajasthan Royals was completely different from the one that we saw in Pune.

In the 13 matches which he played, he scored only 196 runs at an average of 16.33. He wasn’t at his best with the ball either as he picked up only eight wickets. You expect better numbers from a world-class player like Stokes. It looked the Englishman wasn't at his best after his suspension from national duty and the ill effects of not playing much cricket before the IPL made it difficult for him to get going. Royals will hope that the with the controversy behind, Stokes will be back to his best this year.

#1 Rohit Sharma (MI)

Rohit Sharma has to open the batting for Mumbai Indians

Rohit Sharma; who is one of the best white-ball openers in the world did not play at the top of the order for Mumbai Indians. He batted in the middle-order for the three-time Champions last year and as a result, had one of his poorest seasons in the history of the IPL. One expects a player of Sharma's caliber to score at least get 400-500 runs in one IPL season.

However, In the 2018 season, he scored just 286 runs in the 14 matches. He performed well below par and his failure was one of the main reasons due to which Mumbai did not make it to the playoffs. The world knows what a world-class player Rohit Sharma is and it’s just a matter of time before he starts scoring runs for Mumbai once again. It would be better for the team and himself if the team management allows him to open the batting.