IPL 2018: 5 players who deserved to play the playoffs
The long tussle for the last two playoffs spots ended with Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals beating other teams to make it to the final four.
The teams gave their everything to make it to the playoffs but failed due to their inconsistency and poor form of some of the key players.
However, there were a lot of players who stood up and played some brilliant cricket and carried their team's hopes on their shoulders for the major part of the tournament.
With such strong performances, these players would have hoped to be part of the playoffs but they can't because of their teams' dismal show.
We will look at five such players who deserved to play the playoffs but unfortunately can not.
#5 Hardik Pandya
Mumbai Indians fought hard till their last match only to be knocked out by Delhi Daredevils in their last league match.
The only bright spot in the otherwise disappointing campaign for the defending champions was Hardik Pandya.
The all-rounder continued his golden run in the IPL by playing some stunning cricket. He scored 260 runs at an average of 28.88 and played some crucial cameos at the end of the inning.
Normally considered to be a batting all-rounder, Pandya impressed with the ball too. He took 18 wickets in 13 matches and was one of the contenders for the purple cap.
Pandya might be disappointed for not getting his team through to the playoffs but he can be proud of his performance.