With the IPL 2023 tournament approaching its playoffs stage, we take a glance at the Indian players who were expected to do well, but have fallen way short of expectations with respect to their performances. They did not make the gradual progression that was expected of them and that has resulted in their downturn of fortunes
Here are 10 Indian stars, that just weren’t stars this IPL 2023 season!!
1. Mayank Agarwal
The Karnataka batsman was bought as a proven opener for a substantial amount of 8 cr in the auction by Hyderabad. He was expected to be the veteran Indian presence up the order to give the orange army an aggressive start. But he has failed miserably. A paltry 187 runs at a substandard strike rate of 114 culminated in him getting dropped from the side
2. Dinesh Karthik
Just last year, Karthik was turning heads across the country with his belligerent finishing abilities and was rewarded with a call-up to the squad for the T20 World Cup. But six months later it seems like he’s totally forgotten how to bat this season. His aggressive touch has deserted him and he looks every bit a part-time batsman with a commentary career ahead of him. 140 runs with just 5 sixes in 12 games. The highlight of his season unfortunately is being joint top on the list of most ducks in IPL history this season.
3. Riyan Parag
The Royals kept backing the Assam youngster, giving him chance after chance every season, but it’s been a case of more of the same for them. Parag has flattered to deceive every year and this time is no different. 78 runs at a strike rate of 118, despite given a run in the side at his preferred batting position of number 4. For someone who saw himself hitting 4 sixes in an over this year, hitting 5 sixes in 7 games is certainly not good reading.
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4. Deepak Hooda
Another player who got a call-up to Australia on the basis of his swashbuckling exploits in the IPL last year, Hooda’s prowess with the bat has seen a massive downturn this year. In fact, this could very well end up to be his worst season in IPL history. A return of 69 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of 89 is an atrocious return, which reflects why Lucknow have been inconsistent at best
5. Rahul Tripathi
Tripathi had his best ever season last year where he looked like he could score in all areas of the pitch with ridiculous ease. Unfortunately those qualities have been in short supply this season. A solitary 50 score in 12 innings at and an overall strike rate of 128 does not make for good reading at a time when India is looking for an aggressive top order T20 batter.
6. Prithvi Shaw
Ricky Ponting went on to say preseason that Shaw is a special talent and has been looking like a million bucks during training. However, his numbers have been anything but that. A mere 100 runs with his dismissals showing signs that there has been no discernible improvement in his game this season.
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7. Harshal Patel
In an RCB bowling Unit that is among one of the best in the league in different stages of the match, Harshal Patel stands out in particular, and for all the wrong reasons. It seems like that purple cap season was more of an aberration, and that this is his actual level. His reluctance to bowl anything else apart from the slower ball has led to his undoing, resulting in an economy of close to 10. RCB should be looking to cut their losses with Harshal as quickly as possible.
8. Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma’s form was a topic of debate for quite a while, but his pronounced struggles in this year’s IPL have put it in the spotlight. Just like Karthik, Rohit has also been in a competition for all the wrong reasons, tying with DK for the most amount of ducks in IPL history. A single score of 50+ at a strike rate of around 120, it’s a miracle that the Mumbai Indians are winning despite his lean run.
9. Manish Pandey
The veteran Indian bat was picked up by the Capitals to give a facelift to their middle order in the absence of their talisman Rishabh Pant. But it has not worked at all for both parties. Pandey has been utterly laborious at his time in the middle, as evidenced by his strike rate of 109. His inability to score quickly has added to his woes, and the days of him playing sheet anchor are long gone
10. Sarfaraz Khan
It was expected that Sarfaraz would bring his blazing form from the Ranji Trophy into the IPL and set the stage ablaze for everyone to see. Sadly, the Mumbai batsman has just not been able to have any sort of impact this season, resulting him in playing just 4 games this season, scoring a measly 53 runs with a woeful strike rate of just 85. Sums up Delhi’s season in a microscope
