IPL 2022: Top 3 players who couldn't justify their hefty price tags 

The fifteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) came to an end last Sunday when the Gujarat Titans (GT) beat the Rajasthan Royals (RR) to lift their maiden title at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Hardik Pandya-led unit put on great team performances throughout the season and did the same during the final.

Over the course of 73 high-octane matches, T20 cricket has hogged the limelight for more than two months. Much of the focus was on the players who bagged hefty deals at the IPL 2022 mega auction that took place in February in Bengaluru.

The pressure was also on these players to perform consistently to give their respective sides their money’s worth. Although players like Liam Livingstone and Wanindu Hasaranga came out firing on all cylinders, a few of them crumbled under pressure.

On that note, let's take a look at three players who were bought for massive amounts but couldn't justify their hefty price tag in this year's competition.

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#3. Shardul Thakur (DC) - ₹10.75 crores

Shardul Thakur was an expensive buy at the mega auction for DC [P.C: IPLT20]

The Delhi Capitals (DC) bought Shardul Thakur for a massive ₹10.75 crores - the same amount that RCB paid for Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga. After playing a key role in CSK's IPL 2021 triumph, big things were expected from the Mumbai-born pacer.

However, Thakur's wavering line and length during the competition cost Delhi some extra runs. The right-armer leaked runs at a rate of 9.79 in IPL 2022 - Thakur's worst-ever economy rate in his IPL career. Other than for the one match way back in 2015, while playing for Punjab, when he bowled 3 overs at an economy rate of 12.66. Moreover, none of the DC bowlers who bowled more than five overs this season had a worse economy than him.

Though Thakur picked up 15 scalps in the league stages for DC, six of his 15 wickets came in the last two league fixtures (that too at an economy rate of 9.85). While the 30-year-old did just fine with the bat, the Capitals would've expected a lot more from their most expensive buy at the mega auction.

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#2. Devdutt Padikkal (RR) - ₹7.75 crores

Devdutt Padikkal didn't have a great season [P.C: IPLT20]

It came as a bit of a surprise when Rajasthan spent ₹7.75 crores on Devdutt Padikkal at the auction even though they had two first-choice openers in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler in their ranks.

This meant Padikkal played in the middle order during the first half of the tournament. While he did make a handy contribution with his 41 off 29 in the first game against Hyderabad, the left-hander didn't inspire his side to victories throughout the tournament.

After having two 400+ runs IPL seasons and also making his debut for India, RR expected solidity and consistency from the talented southpaw. However, with only a single half-century in 17 games, Padikkal left a lot to be desired.

The 22-year-old scored 376 runs at a mediocre average of 22 and a strike rate of 122.8 in the competition. Given that Padikkal is still in the early part of his career, we fans will hope the youngster will come good next season.

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#1. Shahrukh Khan (PBKS) - ₹9 crores

There was a substantial amount of hype for the Tamil Nadu-born prior to this year's IPL season. He guided his domestic side to a fabulous victory in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which raised his stock at the mega auction.

Punjab had to pay a colossal ₹9 crores to secure his services, which made Shahrukh the joint highest paid uncapped Indian player ever alongside Rahul Tewatia. While Tewatia was an impact performer for GT and guided them to victories on a number of occasions, the same cannot be said for the right-handed dasher.

Big strikes, strong finishes and blazing cameos were expected from Shahrukh. However, none of that happened as he even lost his place in the playing XI after seven matches. In those seven games, the middle-order batter managed to score only 98 runs at a modest strike rate of 100.

The 27-year-old was called back for their last league match and given a chance to bat at No. 3. He scored 19 off ten in that game. Considering his average performance in IPL 2022, it's safe to say that Shahrukh didn't justify his hefty price tag this year.