IPL 2018: 10 Overseas Batsmen Whose 1 Run Costed Lakhs To Their Franchises!

IPL 2018: This season has been filled with uncertainties as teams that looked solid on paper were knocked out of the tournament

By: Arun Rawal |
May 23, 2018 6:08 pm

Every season of Indian Premier League (IPL) witnesses a few hits and misses. Mainly the players who are one of the most expensive buys turn out to be major flops. This IPL was no different as we witnessed a few well-known faces who failed to make a mark. On the other hand, the tournament also saw players who impressed critics despite carrying a low price tag. A lot was expected from star T20 players like Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch, Ben Stokes and others but they got nowhere close to what was expected of them.

Here’s the list of batsmen whose performance did not match their on-paper record —

10. Ben Cutting (Rs 2,29,166 per run scored, Rs 2.2 crore) —
Cutting is one of the most reputed all-rounders of Big Bash League (BBL). The big-hitter was given the role of a finisher in Mumbai Indians (MI). Cutting played for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for three years but was barely given any chances in the playing XI. He played 9 games for MI this season and scored only 96 runs. The only impactful innings he played was against Delhi Daredevils (DD) in a must-win clash but his efforts went in vain.

9. Brendon McCullum (Rs 2,83,464 per run scored, Rs 3.6 crore) —
McCullum played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the first time but failed miserably. He failed to convert decent starts into big scores which resulted in him warming the benches rather than opening the batting. The Kiwi wicketkeeper-batsman known for scoring big managed to hit only 43 as his highest score of the season.

8. Colin Munro (Rs 3,01,587 per run scored, Rs 1.9 crore) —
Munro was second in the ICC T20I batsmen rankings when he was picked up by Delhi Daredevils (DD) in IPL 2018 auctions. There were high hopes from the Kiwi opener as he was expected to be a regular in the side. But all he managed was 63 runs from 5 matches.

7. D’Arcy Short (Rs 3,47,826 per run scored, Rs 4 crore) —
Short was the highest run-scorer for Hobart Hurricanes in Big Bash League 2017-18 which earned him a spot in Australia’s T20I side. The left-handed opener was one of the most talked-about buys of Rajasthan Royals (RR). His performance in the 7 matches he played for RR was nowhere close to his form. He could not even score a half-century and all fans could get was a glimpse of his attacking play.

6. David Miller (Rs 4,05,405 per run scored, Rs 3 crore) —
Miller was retained by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). He recently scored the fastest T20I hundred. Because of in-form Chris Gayle, Miller barely got any chance to bat. The left-handed batsman was underused by KXIP. He could only score 74 runs from three matches.

5. Aaron Finch (Rs 4,62,686 per run scored, Rs 6.2 crore) —
This was probably the worst season for Finch keeping in mind the number of games he played. Finch missed the first match due to his wedding and then registered two golden ducks. He managed to score mere 134 runs from 10 matches. His highest score of 46 in the season came in a match where KXIP batting was dominant. Finch’s lack of form is one of the reasons why KXIP missed out on the playoffs spot.

4. Glenn Maxwell (Rs 5,32,544 per run scored, Rs 9 crore) —
Maxwell has had a horrendous season this year and proved to be a major factor contributing to DD’s downfall. With literally zero match-winning innings, Maxwell’s repeated selection in the side instead of overseas players like Jason Roy and Colin Munro was questioned. DD coach Ricky Ponting backed him to do good but his dull batting affected Delhi’s chance to make a comeback.

3. Marcus Stoinis (Rs 6,26,262 per run scored, Rs 6.2 crore) —
Stoinis was retained by KXIP but was kept in and out of the side. He was unable to find his form and scored just 99 runs from 7 matches. He could not finish matches for KXIP and failed to justify his hefty price tag. In the bowling department, he picked up just 3 wickets and leaked runs at an economy rate of 10.80.

2. Ben Stokes (Rs 6,37,755 per run scored, Rs 12.5 crore) —
Stokes was someone RR relied on to win matches, hence the handsome amount to rope him in. He did not do extraordinary with the bat, scoring just 196 runs from 13 games he played. He also flew back to England for Test series against Pakistan during knockout games. Unlike in the previous season, Stokes failed to cross the fifty-run mark or consistently deliver with cameos.

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1. Corey Anderson (Rs 11,76,470 per run scored, Rs 2 crore) –
Anderson was not picked in IPL 2018 auctions. He was brought in by RCB as a replacement for an injured Nathan Coulter-Nile. His batting statistics were poor and the bowling statistics were horrendous, including the game RCB lost against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) despite the team having scored over 200 runs. He scored just 17 runs from 3 matches.

ALSO READ: IPL 2018: Here’s What Happened Inside CSK’s Dressing Room Post Win Over SRH – WATCH

Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo are other players who performed below expectations. However, they played at least one match-winning innings to take their respective teams home.