IPL 2018: 5 bowlers who have disappointed this season
It is an accepted fact that modern cricket is a batsman’s game. The bowlers find life really hard across all three formats these days, but their suffering is usually the most in the T20 format.
We are witnessing much of the same during the current season of the Indian Premier League.
With multiple 200+ scores posted and even chased down already this season, it is evident that bowlers have been having a torrid time in the past few weeks.
However, over the years, several bowlers have established themselves to be a force to be reckoned with in the IPL and have often stood tall amongst the batting carnage.
That being said, in this edition of the league, some of the most respected T20 bowlers in recent times have had an ordinary season by their high standards. This piece looks at some of those ‘Star’ bowlers who have failed to deliver this season in the world’s biggest T20 league.
#5 Ravichandran Ashwin
The new Kings XI skipper hasn’t had a really bad IPL this year with the ball in hand, but he finds a place on the list simply because of the extremely high standards he sets for himself.
This season, the added pressure of leading his side seems to have taken a bit of toll on the off-spinner and he looks a little unsure about his bowling role in the side.
Being the premier spinner in the Punjab squad, Ashwin is expected to pick up wickets which is something he has not been able to do this season. He has only taken five scalps in seven IPL games with a strike rate of over 30.
While the rise of young Afghan sensation Mujeeb Ur Rehman has significantly helped take the pressure off Ashwin as the lead spinner, if Kings XI has to go deep into the tournament their talismanic off-spinner has to come into his own.