IPL 2021: Flop XI from the league stage

Overcoming a mid-season break and several other obstacles in its path, 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) has finally reached the playoff stage of the competition.

The Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have finished in the top two, with the latter in particular exceeding expectations in the tournament. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns in the Eliminator, with the other four teams left to rue missed opportunities.

Here is a playing XI from the league stage of IPL 2021 which consists of players who didn't live up to expectations. The tournament rule which stipulates that only four overseas players can be part of the playing XI has been followed.

Honorable Mentions: Chris Gayle, Sam Curran, Chris Morris, Manish Pandey

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Openers: Shubman Gill, David Warner

David Warner may never play a game for SRH again

Barring a fifty which won him a Player of the Match award and a bright 40-odd that helped KKR resuscitate their IPL 2021 campaign, Shubman Gill has done little of note in IPL 2021. The manner of his dismissals has been worrying, and he has scored 352 runs at an average of 25.14 and a strike rate of 119.32.

David Warner is in the conversation when it comes to the greatest IPL batters of all time, but the Aussie endured one of his worst-ever seasons for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Struggling to find his timing after returning from an injury, the southpaw soon found himself stripped of the captaincy and ousted from the playing XI. Towards the end of IPL 2021, Warner didn't even sit in the dugout with the rest of the team and will probably never be seen in orange again.

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Middle Order: Nicholas Pooran (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Suresh Raina

Nicholas Pooran was handed an extremely long rope by PBKS in IPL 2021

Despite his immense potential, Nicholas Pooran hasn't struck form in the IPL so far. The West Indian southpaw was handed an extremely long rope by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) as he played 12 matches, but he managed only 85 runs at an abysmal average of 7.72. He played careless shots to get out and showed no application whatsoever.

KKR captain Eoin Morgan led his team to the playoffs with an admirable second-leg resurgence, but he has had a miserable IPL 2021 season so far. With only 125 runs at an average of 12.4, the Englishman hasn't been able to buy a run. His captaincy has come under question too, with a couple of debatable decisions costing KKR dearly.

CSK veteran Suresh Raina is clearly past his prime. He was a sitting duck against the short ball and couldn't even take on the spinners like he once used to. Raina tallied only 160 runs in 12 games before a knee issue forced him out of the CSK playing XI.

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All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Krunal Pandya

Hardik Pandya had a miserable IPL 2021 campaign

Two of the Mumbai Indians' (MI) premier all-rounders, the Pandya brothers, had dismal outings in IPL 2021. While Hardik scored only 127 runs and didn't bowl, Krunal managed 143 runs and leaked runs in almost every game.

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) duo of Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia take up the remaining all-rounder spots in this IPL 2021 flop XI. Parag didn't even cross the three-figure mark in runs scored with 93, while Tewatia couldn't perform the role of the lead spinner successfully.

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Bowlers: Kyle Jamieson, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's form is a concern ahead of the T20 World Cup

Bought for an astronomical amount at the IPL 2021 auction, Kyle Jamieson couldn't live up to his price tag. He conceded runs at an economy rate of 9.6 in the nine matches he played, averaging one wicket per game. The Kiwi's highest score was an unbeaten 16 as his all-round abilities didn't come to the fore either.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's form is a concern for India leading into the T20 World Cup, for which he has been picked as one of three frontline pacers. He scalped just six wickets in 11 matches, bowling a highly mediocre pace throughout. The spearhead's struggle was one of the major contributing factors to SRH's terrible campaign.