The eleventh season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) finally came to an end on Sunday (May 27).
Chennai Super Kings thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets to win the coveted title for the third time. The just-concluded season also lived up to the reputation that the league built in its first decade.
New faces emerged as star performers, records where shattered, new records were made, as the season gave the fans a lot to cheer about.
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But amidst all this, there were also some performances which severely got criticised by the cricketing world. In some instances, the players failed to bat as per the situation while on some the players went for too many runs.
So with the season now done and dusted, Sportzwiki takes a look at some poor performances that happened in the eleventh season:
4. Ajinkya Rahane:
For long, many have labelled Ajinkya Rahane as a Test specialist and his constant struggles this season has further hurt his reputation in limited-overs cricket.
One of his worst knocks this season came against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Rajasthan Royals bowlers had done a brilliant job by restricting the Sunrisers to a modest 151 for seven.
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It was now up to the batsmen to complement the bowlers’ effort. However, in the end, Sunrisers managed to win the game by 11 runs and Rahane’s knock was perhaps one of the reasons behind the loss.
Opening the innings, he remained till the very end but could not take his team home. The right-handed batsman scored an unbeaten 65 off 52 balls.
3. Mohammed Shami took to cleaners by Kolkata Knight Riders:
The build-up to the IPL was nothing less than a nightmare for Mohammed Shami.
The India pacer’s wife had made some serious allegations against him like extra-marital affairs and involvement in spot-fixing. Perhaps it was one of the reasons one of the country’s finest bowlers failed to deliver as per expectation this season.
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In the match against Kolkata Knight Riders, he conceded as many as 53 runs off his four overs.
In his last over, Andre Russell hit him for three sixes. In fact, the Windies all-rounder had hit Shami for six sixes in the game.
4. D’Arcy Short struggles to complement Buttler:
Nobody had given Rajasthan Royals a chance when they came out to chase an improbable 151 in just 12 overs against Delhi Daredevils.
The Royals promoted Jos Buttler to open the innings. The decision turned out to a masterstroke, as Buttler tore into the Daredevils attack.
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However, D’Arcy Short failed to strike the ball cleanly from the other end in the middle overs and played a miserable knock.
Although in the end, he made up with a 25-ball 44, his initial struggle killed the chase.
1. Basil Thampi concedes 70 runs:
Thampi had made a name for himself with his stunning performances in his debut season. Playing for Gujarat Lions in 2017, he impressed one and all with his abilities to bowl perfect yorkers.
However, his second season did not go on expected lines. In fact, he ended up creating a dubious record that will perhaps scar him for the rest of his life.
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Against Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer conceded 70 runs off just four overs. It is most runs conceded by any bowler in IPL history.