IPL 2020: 3 expensive players who turned out to be disappointments this season

IPL 2020 came to a fitting end as the Mumbai Indians dominated proceedings throughout the season before eventually lifting their fifth and second successive title. MI beat the Delhi Capitals by 5 wickets in the IPL 2020 final at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.

53 days of gripping cricket finally came to a close, and while some teams ended the campaign with a wide grin, others were left with a lot to ponder. As usual, the 13th edition of the IPL threw up many exciting prospects – prodigies that showed enough glimpses of having the potential to make it big on the international stage.

---

3 superstars who had a disappointing IPL 2020 campaign

On the flip side, there were also big names and stalwarts who came into IPL 2020 on the back of big bucks and a lot of expectations, but failed to justify any of it. We now take a look at 3 such stars who failed to make it big in the recently-concluded IPL.

---

3. Shimron Hetmyer (Delhi Capitals – INR 7.75 crore)

Shimron Hetmyer didn't look in proper shape in IPL 2020 (Credits: IPLT20.com)

Shimrom Hetmyer managed a meagre 75 runs in 5 matches for RCB last year, but the Delhi Capitals expressed confidence in the West Indian big hitter when they broke the bank during the IPL 2020 auction to take him into their setup.

Shreyas Iyer himself went down the order to slot in Hetmyer at No. 3 in their opening match against KXIP, but the Caribbean batsman could only manage a 13-ball 7 and was pushed down to No. 6 in the next game against CSK.

Hetmyer could not only strike the lusty blows he became famous for while donning the West Indian outfit, but he was also exhausting a lot of deliveries before eventually getting out tamely. Yes, there was the odd 45 off 24 balls against RR, but the southpaw failed to finish innings the way DC desperately wanted him to.

Hetmyer didn’t look the athlete he once was and there were questions directed at DC regarding his fitness, especially after he dropped Faf du Plessis twice in a single match.

But Shreyas Iyer and Co. would definitely be thankful to Hetmyer for his whirlwind innings in the crunch Qualifier 2 against SRH. It was his 42* off 22 balls that ensured DC finished with a flourish on 189 for 3, which turned out to be enough for a 17-run victory.

Nonetheless, Shimron Hetmyer had a disappointing run in IPL 2020. In 12 matches, he scored 185 runs at a meagre average of 23.12 and hit just 12 sixes.

---

2. Piyush Chawla (Chennai Super Kings – INR 6.75 crore)

Piyush Chawla had a sorrow outing in IPL 2020 (Credits: IPLT20.com)

A lot of eyebrows and questions were raised when Piyush Chawla shifted base from KKR to CSK for a massive fee of INR 6.75 crore. All those doubts, however, were put to rest after the opening match of IPL 2020 as Chawla returned figures of 1 for 21 from 4 overs to help CSK beat MI by 5 wickets.

The tables completely turned in the next match against RR as the 31-year-old leg-spinner went for 55 runs. He was picking up wickets, but he was also being taken to the cleaners. And that was turning out to be the difference between CSK winning and losing.

Chawla was replaced by fellow leg-spinner Karn Sharma after the fifth match in which the former conceded 11 runs an over against KXIP. He did play two matches thereafter, but he failed to win back MS Dhoni’s trust and bowled just 4 overs across the two games.

Piyush Chawla finished IPL 2020 with a tally of 6 wickets from 7 matches at an average and economy of 31.83 and 9.09 respectively. Only time will tell if we have seen him for the last time in the IPL.

---

1. Glenn Maxwell (Kings XI Punjab – INR 10.75 crore)

Glenn Maxwell was a shadow of himself in IPL 2020 (Credits: IPLT20.com)

Glenn Maxwell became the second-most expensive signing at the IPL 2020 auction last year when KXIP purchased him for a whopping INR 10.75 crore. But the Aussie all-rounder headed in the complete opposite direction of what he was paid the big bucks for.

Maxwell failed to move out of double-digit scores in KXIP’s opening two fixtures, scoring a combined 6 off 10 balls against DC and RCB. And while everyone remained hopeful of Maxwell soon hitting top gear, he looked like an old scooter refusing to start.

He voiced opinions about batting too low down the order and not getting to face enough balls, but nothing can justify the fact that the Aussie star – known for hitting huge sixes – couldn’t smash a single maximum in the entirety of IPL 2020.

Maxwell did score a 24-ball 32 against DC later in the season, but quite astonishingly, that was his only 15-plus score. There were two sides to Glenn Maxwell in IPL 2020 – he either consumed a lot of deliveries or departed rather quickly without troubling the scorers.

In his poorest IPL campaign, Glenn Maxwell scored 108 runs from 13 matches at a tame average of 15.42, and picked up 3 wickets at an economy of 8.04. Even more concerningly, he scored those runs off 106 deliveries, resulting in a strike rate of 101.88.

---