Yuvi, Jadeja, Andrew: 5 Expensive Underperformers in IPL’s History

Which players have failed to live up to the hefty sums they were bought for in the IPL auctions?

Throughout the Indian Premier League’s auction history, we have seen some ginormous amount being spent on players – known and unknown. Some purchases have worked wonders while some have turned into a real copper.

This year, England’s Ben Stokes was picked by Rising Pune Supergiant for a massive Rs 14.5 crore, making him the most expensive foreign player in IPL’s history. On the other hand, some IPL franchises even placed big bets on uncapped domestic players.

Here, we look at the five most expensive underperformers in IPL’s history; players who were bought for hefty sums, but weren’t quite able to live up to the tag.

1. Yuvraj Singh (Delhi Daredevils) – IPL 2015

Yuvraj Singh has always been one of the most sought after players in the IPL, even though he has never really set the tournament on fire. Yet, the batsman was bought for a colossal sum of USD 2.33 million and USD 2.67 million in the 2014 and 2015 editions, by Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils, respectively.

While he managed a decent performance in the 2014 season, his performance was below par in the 2015 edition. Yuvraj struggled to find timing and form, and could only garner 248 runs with two fifties in 14 matches at a poor strike-rate of 118. This season was also being considered as Yuvraj’s launch pad back into the national side, but the stylish batsman only made matters worse for himself.

2. Dinesh Karthik (Delhi Daredevils) – IPL 2014

When the wicket-keeper batsman was purchased for a whopping USD 2.2 million in the 2014 auctions, everyone was left stunned. Karthik was known as a decent batsman, but he was nowhere close to the price that was paid for him.

Perhaps it was the burden of the astronomical amount he been bought for, or perhaps it was just the poor form, but Karthik could only muster 325 runs in 14 matches with three fifties to show for his price tag. It was a poor performance and must have pinched the franchise badly.

3. Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings) – IPL 2012

A price of USD 2 million for a spin bowling all-rounder who hadn’t quite established himself yet, seemed like overindulgence on CSK’s part in the 2012 auctions when they bought Ravindra Jadeja. But the Saurashtra-born cricketer couldn’t live up to the hype at all and only managed 191 runs and 12 wickets from 19 games in the season.

And this was despite him picking up a five-for in one of the matches. This resoundingly poor performance bought the all-rounder a lot of ridicule on social media.

4. Andrew Flintoff (Chennai Super Kings) – IPL 2009

During that phase, the burly Englishman was one of the most coveted all-rounders in world cricket and hence it wasn’t surprising when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fetched him for a record USD 1.55 million.

The 2009 leg of the championship was being played in South Africa, and the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK was banking on Flintoff’s experience to help them get through. However, the all-rounder could only play three games where he scored a mere 62 runs and picked up 3 wickets before a knee injury forced him out of the tournament.

5. Pawan Negi (Delhi Daredevils) – IPL 2016

After all these seasons, the Delhi Daredevils just don’t seem to get a grip on how to spend at auctions.

Little-known left-arm spin-bowler Pawan Negi sent shockwaves everywhere when he became the most expensive uncapped player at USD 1.25million. Negi had shown some prowess with the bat in the earlier edition and that was one of the reasons the Delhi franchise went for him.

However, the move turned out to be a copper as Negi could only manage a paltry 57 runs and picked up just one wicket in the eight matches that he played in the season. One can’t blame Negi for the price he was bought for, but this purchase will go down as one of the most unproductive ones in IPL history.