IPL 2020 is almost lingering around its close and in a few more games, it shall receive its finality. Not only has this year’s IPL been a rip-roaring extravaganza but the shift of momentum from the bat to the ball was nothing short of a wondrous spectacle.
Despite the tournament being an absolute blockbuster, a few players didn’t really live up to the high standards that were being set before them, and as result franchises were left unhappy at the disappointments.
We will look at a few players with whom the franchises will probably look forward to part ways in the upcoming IPL.
1. Dinesh Karthik and Sunil Narine from KKR
Karthik had a woeful IPL 2020 campaign and barring a couple of matches, he batted disastrously throughout the span of the fray. All he could manage was 169 runs from 14 games out of which a major bulk of the runs those were scored came from a couple of games.
In fact, he was the captain for the side in the first few games and after a few abysmal results, it was handed over to Morgan. Despite the fact, that Karthik had been carrying the team on his shoulder for quite some time, he is passe at this point in time and a ghostly shadow of his former self. Instead of Karthik, KKR should start looking for young Indian talents who can step in his shoes and can establish himself in the long run.
Sunil Narine has undoubtedly been one of the major craftsmen for Kolkata’s two IPL trophies and even in seasons of despair, Narine has been the solitary glimmer of hope for Kolkata. However, with batsmen adapting to the mystery bowling of Narine, they are simply deploying the stance of defending four overs and targeting the other bowlers. In fact, after he has undergone an action change, he has proven to be expensive. Also, another challenge that has rocked Narine is his failure to bat. However, he was never a proven batsman, and burdening him with expectations to bat was another mistake. Keeping a member of the team who has already been cracked open by other teams is not a great idea. He was a big disappointment in IPL 2020.
2. James Pattinson and Nathan Coulter-Nile from Mumbai Indians
Pattinson did start IPL 2020 on an amazing note when he left Chennai and KKR reeling with some brutal fast bowling. However, he shortly failed to match up to the high standards of Bumrah and Trent Boult. That started sidelining him and with the concept of foreign quota coming in place and in order to accommodate another foreign player who can chip in with better statistics, Pattinson was benched. Given his age, it is expected that he will be probably dropped for the upcoming seasons.
Nathan Coulter-Nile is undoubtedly one of the best fast bowlers of the world and his formidable stance as one of the spearheads of the destructive Australian trio cannot be put down. However, he is not a preferred bowler in the shortest format of the game even in Australian colors. He did get a few limited opportunities in IPL 2020 but the performances weren’t really inspiring from the Australian. With this condition, Mumbai may ax him for the upcoming season as he will have to conjure something magical in the upcoming games to convince the management.
3. Kedhar Jadhav, Murali Vijay, and Imran Tahir from CSK
Jadhav was once a formidable middle-order batsman and he did perform inhuman stunts even with an injured groin that saw him being clad in straps and striking the winning runs for both Chennai and India. Unfortunately, he is no longer in that incisive shape and was reduced to a filler in the thirteenth edition of the tournament. He played 8 games in IPL 2020 and gathered 62 runs. He was also sloppy in the field and terribly unfit. Historic legacies do not win your games or tournaments and that is why the Yellow Army must bid adieu to Jadhav.
Murali Vijay was nothing but a dissipating shadow of his former glorious self and the way he carried his portly self was indeed alarming for Chennai. He played three games in IPL 2020, scored 32 runs, and dropped two catches. Once again this man has been a juggernaut if we take a walk down the memory lane but once again memories don’t win your trophies.
Imran Tahir is one of the finest spinners of the world but he is too old to ride the steam of IPL that brings together a band of youth aspiring to don on that national jersey. Despite not being utilized for the ongoing tournament, Tahir is a proven match-winner. However, with every passing day, as the game gets more exerting and demanding, a player of his age won’t be able to keep on performing on a regular basis. This won’t really be a farewell but a transition of Tahir from a player to management, I suppose.
4. Ishant Sharma from Delhi Capitals
Ishant Sharma is inarguably one of the best bowlers in red-ball cricket. However, considering the fact that he is expensive in the shortest format of the game draws a curtain on him. He is a good fast bowler but in order for him to establish his efficacy, he needs a lot more than 4 overs. Also with him slowly getting on top of the age curve, injuries are getting way too frequent and with the exciting brand of players that Delhi brags about, Ishant can soon be a liability.
5. Robin Uthappa from Rajasthan Royals
Uthappa has definitely been one of the most consistent cricketers in the glittering span of the fray but with every passing IPL, he has seen to be a notch lower than the last one. In 2019, when Uthappa performed for KKR, he was already in flickering touch and when he donned on the jersey of Rajasthan this year, he was snuffed out completely. From 12 games in IPL 2020, he could only manage 196 runs and that very well spells the doom for Uthappa.
6. Glenn Maxwell from Kings XI Punjab
Maxwell brewed a storm in 2014 when he almost single-handedly changed the course of the tournament. However, post that season, he was drifting in and out of form. He scored 108 runs from 13 matches that didn’t see a single six from one of the most destructive middle-order batsmen. With the quality of foreigners that Punjab has at their disposal, Maxwell may very well be up for sale.
We did try to locate a player from every team to put up for the probable ax. However, with young and budding talents in Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad clawing their way to the play-offs, we believed that it will be extremely harsh upon the youngsters to be put under the sword and these two teams can hold the potential key to Indian future.
