5 big-money signings that flopped in IPL 2016
The IPL 2016 auction had a few surprises up its sleeves as the franchises chose to invest in young Indian players perhaps with an eye to unearthing raw talents. Big bucks were spent and some surprising purchases were made that grabbed eyeballs.
How did these big money buys perform this season? Did they justify their hefty price tags or did the burden of expectations eventually prove to be too much for them? Here are 5 big money flops from this season of the IPL.
Also, big money buys who missed the majority of the season through injuries or were left warming the bench have been excluded from the list.
1) Pawan Negi [Rs 8.5 crore]
Pawan Negi had shot to fame due to his performances for the Chennai Super Kings in last year's IPL. Negi was often used by Dhoni as an all-rounder who could be the third spinner when required. Dhoni put a lot of faith in him by even throwing the ball to him in the very first over on quite a few occasions.
He did okay with the ball and with the bat, coming in at the death and displayed his brutal hitting prowess. His punchy sixes earned him the sobriquet of 'pocket rocket'. Despite his good performances, no one expected him to emerge as the most expensive Indian player in the IPL 9 auction. The Delhi Daredevils splurged the cash on him and bought him for a whopping Rs. 8.5 crore.
Perhaps under the burden of this huge price tag, Negi grossly underperformed in this year's IPL. He was not picked for all the matches because of his ordinary performances making him one of the most expensive players to be left warming the bench.
He played in 8 matches this season picking up only one wicket and managing only 57 runs at an average of 28.50. Quite a forgettable season for the Delhi Daredevils' million dollar man!