IPL 2018: Rating the performance of 5 most expensive players
The 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) ended with Chennai Super Kings lifting their third trophy in total. Before the tournament started, the surprises had already begun in the auction ceremony as the teams went all out bidding for their favorite players.
While veterans like Chris Gayle and Harbhajan Singh were bought at their base prices, a few players like Jaydev Unadkat and KL Rahul were on everybody's list and came out among the highest paid ones. Justifying a hefty price-tag is not an easy job, but when underdogs like Mayank Markande and Shubman Gill perform better than the expectations, huge names are sure answerable to their owners.
Did the highest paid cricketers manage to justify their price-tag? For KL Rahul and Chris Lynn, the answer is an easy yes. But for two of Rajasthan Royals' players - Ben Stokes and Jaydev Unadkat, their performance was underwhelming, and the officials are sure to take hard decisions for next year.
Let's take a look at the five most expensive players in IPL 2018 and rate their performances out of a possible rating of 5.
#5 Chris Lynn (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Price: ₹9.6 crores
Matches: 16
Runs: 491
Batting Average: 32.73
Rating: 4/5
Chris Lynn's ₹9.6 crore price tag didn't come as a surprise as the Australian had hammered the opposition's bowlers in the 2017 edition of the IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders drafted him back using their Right to Match card.
One of the few consistent openers this season, Lynn, alongside Sunil Narine, was instrumental right from the get-go. Scoring 491 runs in 16 matches, Lynn avoided an injury scare ahead of the tournament and went on to decimate the bowlers right, left, and center.
Chris Lynn has been the preferred choice for KKR for two years now, and with a good performance with the bat this year, his position in the team doesn't seem to go away soon. The right-handed batsman is one of the most explosive players in the side and has never shied away from giving a befitting reply to his critics