IPL has been a cricketing platform known for some wholesome and intense cricketing entertainment. It is indeed a battle of the Best versus the Best. And for young and budding players, it has been a stage to display their sheer talent and caliber. Also, we can see the same in the legendary players of this field. Players like Adam Gilchrist, Shoaib Akhtar, Virender Sehwag, and Brett Lee have been too good and consistent in this cash-rich tournament. But, some legends of the sport weren’t up to the mark and couldn’t make a breakthrough in IPL. Here’s the list of those players.
1. Ricky Ponting
One of the most talented batters and the former captain of the Australian Cricket team, Ricky Ponting, did take part in one of the IPL seasons. Having the skills of impeccable batting and successful captaincy, many anticipated his performance in the tournament. The veteran prime batter showed his contribution to the franchises of Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians. He has also captained the team of Mumbai Indians in the 2013 edition and handed over his captaincy in between a disappointing run to Rohit Sharma, who led them to their first title. Coming to his stats, he had scored just a mere 91 runs in ten matches, with an average of 10.1. And this would be enough to comprehend his failure with the IPL.
2. Sourav Ganguly
Known for his aggressive left-hand batter and crucial reforms to the Indian Cricket team, Sourav Ganguly has been one of the most valuable cricketers for the Indian Cricket team. He had started his IPL campaign as the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural edition. Ganguly couldn’t succeed in his captaincy stint. After his tenure with the Kolkata Knight Riders, he was a part of the defunct-franchise Pune Warriors India. With a short time of participation in the IPL, he made 1349 runs in 59 matches, with a mere 25.4 average.
3. Yuvraj Singh
Be it from his heroic six sixes in an over in the T20 World Cup to a dedicating 2011 World Cup stint, Yuvraj Singh is known for his wholesome all-rounder’s performance. The all-rounder had started his IPL stint for the Kings XI Punjab in the 2008 edition. Thanks to his performance, he is known for getting acquired for hefty amounts by several franchises. He has been a part of teams of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pune Warriors Indian, and Mumbai Indians. But he could muster just 2750 runs and 36 wickets, with a strike rate of 129.71.
4. Shahid Afridi
Star and veteran Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi showed his presence in the IPL. In the inaugural edition, he was a part of the defunct franchise of Deccan Chargers. As many can comprehend his swashbuckling innings and wicket-taking abilities, he couldn’t display the same on a platform like IPL. He has made 81 runs in nine matches with a strike rate of 175+ and 33 as his highest score.
5. George Bailey
George Bailey has been predominant enough with the bat, especially in the white-ball format of the game. He was convincing enough with his performance with the Australian Cricket team. He was a part of the Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab, and the defunct franchise, Rising Pune Supergiants. Though he had got a chance to captain in some matches, he failed to show his performance and scored a mere 663 runs in 40 matches, with a mediocre average of 24.9.
