5 Australian stars who failed to shine in the IPL
The 11th edition of Indian Premier League is almost upon us. Two hundred and six players from India, Australia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, England, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bangladesh will represent the eight franchises during the tournament that begins on April 4.
Other than Indians, a lot of Australian players hog the limelight at the auctions and during the tournament because of their huge fan-following in the cricket-crazy country. At the 2018 IPL Auctions, 54 players from Down Under went under the hammer, while Steven Smith and his deputy David Warner were directly retained by Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively.
On the basis of their stellar performances in the Big Bash League, lesser-known players like Billy Stanlake, D’Arcy Short and Andrew Tye are amongst the 19 Aussies, who will participate in this year's IPL. On the flip-side, some Australian stars failed to reach their highest potential in the first decade of the T20 tournament.
There is no denying the fact that Australians have been an integral part of the tournament, these 5 players failed to shine in the IPL.
#5 James Hopes
Owing to his all-around abilities, James Hopes was one of the brightest talents to come from Australia. He wore the Australian cap for a significant number of ODIs and hence the frenzy which followed him in the IPL was quite palpable.
Hopes turned up for Kings XI Punjab in IPL's inaugural edition and despite being given a long rope, he did not justify his potential. Eventually, he moved on to Delhi Daredevils in 2011.
In 2008, the Australian scored 221 runs in 11 matches at an average of 20.09 and strike rate of 149. His form dipped in 2011, as in 10 matches, he managed only 196 runs at an average of 39.20 and strike rate of 124.
With the ball, he did not set the stage on fire either as in 2008 he picked up only 7 wickets with an economy of 9.85 and in 2011 his wickets count was seven again with an economy rate of 8.50.
Hopes featured in 84 ODIs and 12 Twenty20 Internationals for Australia, apart from representing Queensland for close to 15 years.
He was roped in by Pune Warriors India in 2012 but he did not feature in the playing XI for the now-defunct IPL franchise.
He retired from all forms of cricket in 2016 before moving into a coaching role for both Queensland and Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL).
Hopes has been appointed as the bowling coach of Delhi Daredevils ahead of the upcoming season of IPL.