As the 2020 Indian Premier League enters its final stages, there will be several stars who will be looking to make amends for their underwhelming individual campaigns.
These players were rightly or wrongly hyped up at the start of the IPL season, but have failed to deliver the goods expected from them.
As experienced campaigners on big-money contracts, there is always the danger of being labelled as a flop if things start to go awry. Unfortunately for the undermentioned stars, some big performances will be needed in the remainder of the campaign if they are to redeem their reputation.
GLENN MAXWELL – KINGS XI PUNJAB
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Glenn Maxwell’s reputation as one of the most destructive white-ball batsman precedes him wherever he goes, though the IPL has only been treated to glimpse of the actual talent.
The Australian maverick has been a fixture in the IPL since 2012, and only once in 2014 has he really taken the competition by storm. Despite his unflattering returns in previous campaigns, Kings XI Punjab paid out big bucks to acquire the Aussie’s services for the 2020 edition.
It is safe to say that the franchise hasn’t got their money’s worth so far, with Maxwell enduring a barren run with bat in hand. Just 102 runs at an average of 14.52 are poor numbers from a player of Maxwell’s calibre and is bound to put off franchises from bidding big for him in future auctions.
What’s even worse is the fact that he is yet to slam a single six in the ongoing campaign, with his strike-rate hovering at a dismal 102.00. The saving grace for Maxwell is that KXIP’s team management continue to believe that he will come well eventually.
With KL Rahul’s men currently embroiled in a rat race for the play-offs, there is yet time for Maxwell to make a defining statement.
ANDRE RUSSELL – KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
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For a man who has struck 83 sixes in the two most-recent IPL editions, the current campaign has been a forgettable affair. No batsman in the competition invokes as much fear at the crease as the burly Jamaican, but that factor will be diminishing fast if his current form holds any longer.
While he has picked up a handful of wickets with his pace, Russell’s primary skills as a finisher have hardly seen the light of day. He has had plenty of starts in the season, although he has failed to convert either of them into a knock of any substance.
Russell is averaging less than 12 with the bat in 2020, with a surprisingly low strike-rate of 131 by his own high standards. To make matters worse for the Windies star, his injury troubles seem to have flared up again and he has now missed out on KKR’s last two outings.
It speaks volumes about Russell’s poor form this season that Kolkata have won both those matches and have barely felt his absence. You expect someone like Russell to fire sooner rather than later, and some unlucky bowling attack could be about to face the brunt of his power in the coming games.
MS DHONI – CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
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MS Dhoni’s dismal form has mirrored that of his side Chennai Super Kings, with the skipper taking a large part of the blame personally. While there have been worse offenders than Dhoni in the CSK side, the spotlight will always be sharper on a player who has become synonymous with the franchise’s success.
The veteran wicketkeeper batsman averaged over 80 with the bat across the 2018 and 2019 editions, but his 2020 showings scream of a career on its final legs. It has been a tale of two contrasting halves for Dhoni in the ongoing campaign, with both of them yielding similarly disappointing results.
While his circumspect approach at the start of the season displayed a lack of intent in the crease, his reversal to a more aggressive stance in recent games have only brought in further failures. No longer does he look like the finisher who would pull rabbits out of the hat for Chennai, and his heydays seem a long way behind him.
A middling average of 25 is the least of Dhoni’s worries, with his decision making and squad selection as captain throwing up further question marks. It will be a sad end to Dhoni’s spectacular association with CSK if he goes out on this abysmal note, and it remains to be seen if he can summon energy for one last push in 2021.
AARON FINCH – ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE
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Like his countryman Maxwell, Aaron Finch is another T20 hit for Australia who has failed to translate the same form into the IPL over the years. The opening batsman has shattered plenty of records in international T20 cricket, but has only set the IPL alight on a handful of occasions.
Many expected 2020 to be the year that Finch finally cracks the IPL code after finding a new franchise in Royal Challengers Bangalore. Sadly, it just hasn’t happened for the Australia limited-overs skipper, bar a couple of decent knocks.
He has been completely shown up by rookie opener Devdutt Padikkal at the other end, which is never a good look for an experienced international. His 236 runs so far have come at an average of 21, while his strike-rate is a poor 111.
If this lean spell continues for the Australian, RCB could seriously consider dropping him from the playing XI and bring in someone like Josh Philippe.
BEN STOKES – RAJASTHAN ROYALS
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It is hard to imagine what it feels like being in Ben Stokes’ shoes currently, with the star England all-rounder arriving in the IPL in the midst of testing times on the family front. Given that he has been away from cricket to be with his ailing father in New Zealand for the past few months, some rustiness was always expected from Stokes in the IPL.
That has very much been the case in his five appearances so far, with the all-rounder struggling for fluency in both the batting and bowling departments. His aggregate of 110 runs is the most by any batsman to have not registered a single six, and his strike-rate of 106.79 is reflective of that struggle.
Rajasthan have not done themselves any favours by promoting Stokes to an unfamiliar position of an opener, and are subsequently paying the price for some shoddy team management. It hasn’t been any better for Stokes with the ball in hand and he has gone wicket-less so far while also being very expensive.
For the insane amount of money which the franchise shelled out for his services, Stokes’ performances for Rajasthan in three editions running now have been abject. This is a man who could do no wrong in an England shirt in a dream 2019.
Unfortunately, the Royals have seen none of that magic.
