IPL 2022: One player from each team who has disappointed the most
The Indian Premier League schedule is set to begin its 15th edition on March 26 this year. While this edition has two new entrants - the Gujarat Titans and the Lucknow Super Giants - the other teams are household names. Players like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja have contributed to the massive popularity of the league.
Over the course of 14 previous seasons, the fortunes of IPL teams have been far from equal. While the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings have won five and four titles respectively, the Delhi Capitals, the Punjab Kings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore have never tasted IPL victory.
A lot of the success of franchises depends on the players they invest in and the returns they yield. Here is one player from each franchise who could not repay the faith bestowed over multiple seasons.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Navdeep Saini
Delhi-based quick bowler Navdeep Saini was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2018 IPL for a rather handsome INR 3 crore. With his raw pace, Saini was expected to solve RCB's death-bowling woes and even lead the attack upfront.
Unfortunately, 17 wickets from 28 games are not nearly enough from a pure bowler, and his economy too was on the higher side at 8.47. RCB did not retain him for the 2022 IPL due to their investment not quite working out.
Chennai Super Kings: Kedar Jadhav
Kedar Jadhav's stocks soared after his strong performances for India in limited-overs cricket, particularly his match-winning hundred against England in the home series in 2017. Although his former team RCB did not fare particularly well in 2017, Jadhav's strike rate of 143.54 in the middle order impressed the Chennai Super Kings, who bid big to secure the Maharashtra player.
Jadhav's 2018 IPL was over in the blink of an eye, as an injury sustained in the first game of the season ruled him out. He did play two further seasons, but scored at under a run a ball to eventually be released. Despite CSK's patience and faith, Jadhav turned out to be a poor investment.
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Mumbai Indians: Dhawal Kulkarni
Despite playing close to 100 IPL matches, Dhawal Kulkarni has been unable to establish himself as a frontline pacer for any IPL team. Aside from a good 2016 season for the now-defunct Gujarat Lions, Kulkarni has never played a full season for any team and has taken 86 wickets from his 92 games.
Kulkarni spent six seasons with the Mumbai Indians (MI) from 2008 to 2013, before returning in 2020. In the past two seasons, he has played just one game and gone wicketless both times. MI's consistent success has masked Kulkarni's insipid performances over the years.