Again a good list.. I would have added SRT to this.
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DUDS ARMY
Hits & misses! Twenty20 heightens this contrast in more sense than one. If IPL Season 2 has thrown up its heroes, so has it produced its non-performers. Shockingly, the list contains some most unlikely names. TOI selects the ‘Worst XII’ from those that missed the hits...
GRAEME SMITH
M 12 RUNS 212 HS 77 AVE 19.27 SR 98.14
While a lot of South Africans have made the most of home conditions, Smith was unable to do so. Last year, he and Swapnil Asnodkar were instrumental in giving Team Jaipur the right start but this year, the burly opener failed to get his act right. His woeful form reflected on the fortunes of the team.
GAUTAM GAMBHIR
M 15 RUNS 286 HS 71 AVE 22.00 SR 102.87
The toast of Indian cricket, Gambhir has been in the pink of form over the last one year. However, fatigue seems to have caught up with the Delhi player, who was unable to reproduce the form that made him rise in the international rankings. Gambhir looked a bit jaded and out of place in the IPL.
SANATH JAYASURIYA
M 12 RUNS 221 HS 52 AVE 18.41 SR 115.10 50S 2 W 7 BB 2-3 AVE 23.28 ER 8.57
The Matara marauder was pedestrian in his efforts in South Africa. The Sri Lankan, whose style of play suits the T20 format, was not at his best in this edition of the tournament. His inability to give Mumbai Indians the blazing starts, which he is renowned for, made a big impact in their campaign.
SOURAV GANGULY
M 13 RUNS 189 HS 46 AVE 17.18 SR 91.30 W 2 BB 2-24 AVE 48.50 ER 8.08
The Prince of Kolkata was reduced to being a pauper in South Africa. Ganguly, who had led the Knight Riders last season, was dumped from the hot chair and this seems to have affected his performance. A lacklustre Ganguly was one of the reasons the Knight Riders hurtled to the bottom of the table.
KEVIN PIETERSEN
M 6 RUNS 93 HS 37 AVE 15.50 SR 109.41
Pietersen, who was bought for a whopping $1.55 million, made no impact in the tournament. The Englishman made a hash of things and as long as he was at the helm of affairs, it looked as if Royal Challengers would relive the horrors of the previous season. His departure seems to have turned into a blessing in disguise for RC.
ROBIN UTHAPPA
M 14 RUNS 158 HS 66* AVE 14.36 SR 101.93
One of the faces of young India, Uthappa has had a disastrous tournament. The 23-year-old seemed clueless on the bouncy South African wickets. Barring an unbeaten 66 against Mumbai Indians, the hard-hitting right-handed batsman didn’t contribute much to the team. On top of it, his fielding — oops the dropped catches — was the talk of the town.
ANDREW FLINTOFF
M 3 RUNS 62 HS 24 AVE 31.00 SR 116.98 WKTS 2 BB 1-11 AVE 52.50 ER 9.54
Along with Pietersen, Flintoff was the biggest signing of Season II. However, the burly English all-rounder failed to live up to his reputation. He played just three matches before an injury flared up ending his campaign in South Africa. He flew back home and went under the scalpel.
JACOB ORAM
M 11 RUNS 88 HS 41* AVE 14.66 SR 94.62 WKTS 5 BB 2-12 AVE 26.60 ER 8.58
The Kiwi all-rounder was one of the biggest flops of the tournament. Coming to action after an injury sidelined him for most of India’s tour to New Zealand, Oram looked out of sorts. The hard-hitting Oram failed to contribute to Team Chennai’s cause either with bat or with ball.
PINAL SHAH
M 9 RUNS 53 HS 29 AVE 17.66 SR 103.92 DISMISSALS 8 DR 0.88
The 21-year-old wasn’t up to the standards either behind the stumps or in front of it. Though he has a first-class double century to his name, the Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper player made less impact with the bat, garnering a meager 53 from five innings. His gathering too wasn’t much to be talked about.
AJIT AGARKAR
M 11 WKTS 6 BB 2-15 AVE 47.33 ER 9.16
The Mumbaikar, who seems to enjoy the confidence of the Knight Riders’ management, is no longer the kind of bowler he was. The man, who claimed the fastest 50 wickets in ODIs, looks jaded and proved easy meat for the opposition. One couldn’t understand why the Knight Riders persisted with him.
S SREESANTH
M 7 WKTS 6 BB 2-20
AVE 32.00 ER 8.34
There is more drama than substance when Sreesanth is on the field. After his infamous run in with Harbhajan Singh in the last season, Sreesanth didn’t much of an impact this time. He did have his share of on-field antics though. It resulted in Matthew Hayden calling him an highly over-rated bowler and even Dhoni didn’t take it too lightly the exaggerated celebration of his dismissal by the bowler.
AJANTHA MENDIS
M 4 WKTS 3 BB 2-19
AVE 39.00 ER 7.31
The high-profile Lankan wrist spinner was taken to the laundry by the Mumbai Indians and Team Jaipur batsmen. After the mauling he received from Yusuf Pathan’s blade in the Super Over, he was made to warm the benches. While most other spinners thrived in South Africa, he was reduced to being a mere spectator.
AuthorTopic: IPL 2009 -Turning point of the tournament AND Heroes/Duds of the tournament (Read 448 times)
October 02, 2006, 10:51:08 AM
