Kolkata: Debutants Gujarat Titans lifted the Indian Premier League trophy in 2022 at the mega final in Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday evening. As the tournament threw up some rookies, it also showed players who failed to justify their price tags.
ETV Bharat highlights the performance graph of a few cricketers who failed to live up to the expectations despite being bought at hefty sums in the auction.
Ishan Kishan:
Ishan Kishan was picked up by Mumbai Indians for Rs 15.25 crore based on his performances in the 2021 IPL and the Indian team. This Indian wicket-keeper-batsman failed to meet the expectations barring the first two matches, in which he scored 81 and 54 runs. Thereafter, Ishan suddenly lost his rhythm and ended up with an average of 32.15 with 3 fifties to his credit in 14 matches.
Shreyas Iyer:
After being released by Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for Rs 12.25 crore and picked him to lead the two-time champions. But there was a drought of runs for the right-handed middle-order batter from Mumbai. A low-par start once saw him score only 26 runs in the first four matches. His weakness against leg-spinners was exposed. The KKR captain's highest score in IPL 2022 was 85 with an average of just 28.70.
Read: Analysis: Virat Kohli in 2016 vs Jos Buttler in 2022
Liam Livingstone:
The Punjab Kings paid Rs 11.50 crore to this English right-handed batting all-rounder who had donned the Rajasthan Royals in the base price in the last IPL. Despite being in the mojo in the beginning of the tournament, Livingstone lost it midway. During the need of the hour, he failed to deliver despite being bought for Rs 11.5 crore. Livingstone has not been very successful in bowling either. His batting average was a modest 33.45 and bagged 13 wickets in 13 outings.
Shardul Thakur:
The Delhi Capitals bought Shardul Thakur for Rs 10.75 crore. This medium-pace allrounder seemed out of sorts. He claimed only 3 wickets in the first 8 matches of the T20 league. However, he resurrected his record a bit picking up 11 wickets in the last six matches. However, Thakur could not make much of an impact in batting, scoring only 137 runs at an average of 12.45.
Shah Rukh Khan:
Khan was guaranteed a place in the IPL due to his excellent show for Tamil Nadu in the domestic circuit. Even after releasing him, Punjab Kings XI again bought him for Rs 9 crore at the auction. Expectations were high. However, he also drew a blank. He could score only 117 runs in 8 matches. He was dropped from the first XI after 4 matches. Towards the end, team management gave him another opportunity to make amends, but to no use.
Read: IPL 2022: List of players from GT, RR who were already part of IPL winning squads
Nitish Rana:
KKR had recruited Nitish Rana for Rs 8 crore to fire in the middle order, but he completely disappointed the Kolkata franchise in this edition of the league. Nitish has scored 357 runs at an average of 25.57 in all 14 matches. The left-handed batter has amassed only 2 half-centuries with a top score of 54.
NB: The article mentions the cricketers who were bought at hefty amounts at auctions but failed to live up to their billing. However, there were others too who were bought with a similar amount or even more. KL Rahul (Rs 17 crore), Rohit Sharma (Rs 16 crore), Rishabh Pant (Rs 16 crore), Virat Kohli (Rs 15 crore), and Ravindra Jadeja (16 crore) were retained by their franchises.
