One expensive player from each IPL team who might not be retained

Cricket fans have been entertained by enthralling cricket in IPL 2018, but there have been disappointments too. Players were bought for some unbelievable prices in the mega-auction before IPL. However, some of these players haven't been able to justify the big bucks paid for them.

Performances might not have been the worst, but certainly not up to the expectations that their teams had from them. Teams might decide against retaining these players at the next auction, which will increase their purse and help them buy new players.

We will look at one player from each team who might not be retained next year and might have to come under the hammer at the next auction.

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#8 Aaron Finch - Kings XI Punjab

Finch is having a disastrous IPL 2018

Aaron Finch was bought by Kings XI Punjab for a hefty amount of Rs. 6.2 crores at the auction. Expectations were high from the Australian opener but unfortunately, his performance has been disappointing.

In the 6 matches that he has played this season, he has scored a meager 24 runs at an average of 6.

With KXIP already having a lot of opening options in KL Rahul, Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal, it's highly improbable that they will retain Finch next year.

#7 Chris Woakes - Royal Challengers Bangalore

Woakes appealing for a wicket

Royal Challengers Bangalore paid Rs. 7.4 crores to buy Chris Woakes. Woakes is currently part of England's team in all three formats, however, the English all-rounder has failed to impress in IPL.

He was given an extended run in the playing XI by the RCB team management, but his repeated failures resulted in his exclusion from the playing XI. He leaked runs at a high economy of 10.36 and was guilty of giving away too many runs in the death overs.

With the bat, he scored just 17 runs in 5 matches, and with such poor returns, he is likely to be axed next season.

#6 Glenn Maxwell - Delhi Daredevils

Maxwell's inconsistency has cost Daredevils dearly

Glenn Maxwell was Delhi Daredevils' most expensive buy at the 2018 auction. He was bought at a jaw-dropping price of Rs. 9 crores. Maxwell was expected to light up the tournament with his power-hitting but has failed to do so.

Even though he has played a couple of cameos, he has been highly inconsistent. He has scored 133 runs with a low average of 14.77 in the 9 matches he has played for the team.

He has fared better with the ball, taking five wickets, but his performance hasn't been up to the mark and perhaps a major reason for the Daredevils' poor show.

#5 Wriddhiman Saha - Sunrisers Hyderabad

Saha hasn't had the best of seasons with the bat

Sunrisers Hyderabad surprised a lot of people when they spent Rs. 5 crores to get Wriddhiman Saha onboard. Saha's good performance for Kings XI Punjab, when he batted in the top-order, probably made SRH spend the big bucks on him.

The wicketkeeper-batsman has been mighty effective behind the stumps but his performance as a batsman has been found wanting.

He opened the innings at the start of the tournament only to be pushed to the lower-order after some poor scores. He has made just 79 runs and has a mediocre average of 13.16, which may prompt SRH to find a new wicket-keeper next season.

#4 Jaydev Unadkat, Rajasthan Royals

Unadkat has failed to justify the big bucks spent on him

Jaydev Unadkat became the most expensive Indian player of the 2018 auction when he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs. 11.5 crores.

He was touted to be the leader of Rajasthan Royals' bowling attack. But his performances have been disappointing, to say the least. The Saurashtra pacer has struggled to take wickets as well as to stop the flow of runs.

He has gone for over 10 runs per over and has taken just 7 wickets. Rajasthan Royals might want to use their Rs. 11.5 crores somewhere else next season.

#3 Mitchell Johnson - Kolkata Knight Riders

Johnson has gone for plenty of runs

Mitchell Johnson was seen as fellow Australian pacer Mitchell Starc's replacement in the Kolkata Knight Riders' playing XI. Johnson was once the world's most dreaded bowler. Unfortunately, Johnson seems to be past his prime.

The left-arm seamer has let his team down on more than one occasion. He has erred in line and length and batsmen have used his pace to their advantage.

Having taken just 2 wickets in 6 matches, while giving away runs at 10.28 runs per over, it is unlikely that we will see Johnson playing for KKR again.

#2 Karn Sharma - Chennai Superkings

Karn Sharma hasn't bowled much in the matches that he has played for CSK

Karn Sharma was one of many spinners that Chennai Superkings bought at this year's auction. Sharma had a fantastic IPL 2017 with Mumbai Indians that helped him fetch Rs. 5 crores at the auction.

CSK went with Harbhajan, Tahir and Jadeja in the initial part of the tournament. Sharma did get a couple of opportunities later on, but he failed to impress. In the 4 matches he has played this season, he has taken just 3 wickets and has bowled only five and a half overs, which shows the lack of confidence CSK has in Sharma.

It will be interesting to see if CSK is willing to pay Rs. 5 crores to retain Karn Sharma next season.

#1 Kieron Pollard - Mumbai Indians

Pollard has failed to score quick runs at the end of the innings

Mumbai Indians retained Kieron Pollard for a whopping Rs. 5.4 crores using their RTM card at the auction.

Pollard has been one of the most successful Mumbai Indians players of all time, and his hard-hitting batting during the latter part of the innings has helped Mumbai Indians win a lot of matches.

However, things haven't gone well for Pollard this season. He has terribly failed to get going, as he has batted with an average strike-rate of 108.57. Pollard was eventually dropped from the playing XI and we might have seen the last of him in Mumbai Indians colours.