Mitchell Johnson rues lack of opportunities in IPL 2016

Mitchell Johnson’s pace was of no help as Punjab ended the season as the wooden spoon holders.

Australian quick bowler Mitchell Johnson expressed his frustration at the lack of opportunities during the Kings XI Punjab’s dismal IPL 2016 campaign. The star bowler, who hung up his boots from international cricket last year, played only thrice for his IPL side and spent most of the season warming the bench. In those three matches, Johnson’s figures were far from flattering as the pacer could only take two wickets at an average of 53 and an economy rate of 9.63.

Writing for Foxsports, Johnson reflected on the 2016 season, which was his fourth season in the Indian Premier league. The Australian  wrote, “While I hold nothing against the coaches and selectors for not picking me - there are lots of factors that go into choosing a team, like pitch conditions and team balance, so I understand that I can’t be picked every time - I also can’t pretend that it hasn’t been a frustrating period for me.”

Despite the frustration, Johnson has said that he took getting dropped in his stride and helped his teammates wherever he could. “I’ve already spoken about how it felt when I was dropped early in the season but I copped that on the chin and I was still able to go to training sessions and help out my teammates when I can”, wrote Johnson.

Yet, Johnson left no stone unturned to let the reader know of his anguish on not getting enough chances. He added, “I tried to be as productive as I could be, trying to fire on all cylinders at training – and making sure the coaches saw me doing that – but at the end of the day I came to India to play cricket, which obviously leaves me disappointed that I didn’t do a whole lot of that while I was here.Now that we’re at the end of the tournament it feels a little bit like all that energy was wasted, especially when I’m at this later stage of my career.”

Johnson cannot replicate earlier IPL performances

Johnson was a roaring success in his first stint in 2013 when he guided the Mumbai Indians to the trophy with 24 wickets in 17 matches. He was equally effective next season too as he had 17 scalps against his name for the Mumbai side.

However, the move to Punjab in 2015 didn't go well for Johnson. Expected to lead the Punjab bowling attack alongside Sandeep Sharma and Kyle Abbott, Johnson couldn't conjure up the magic of the past this season in the limited opportunities he got and spent most of the season on the sidelines.