Big names, small feats
Five players who failed to live up to their billing in IPL 2013
Rohan Sharma
27-May-2013
Morne Morkel simply couldn't reach the heights of last season, when he was the tournament's lead wicket-taker • BCCI
Sangakkara started off as the captain of the newly formed Sunrisers Hyderabad, yet before the midway mark of the tournament, he was left behind when his returns proved to be rather poor. In his first three IPL seasons, he scored more than 300 runs every season, before shifting allegiances to Deccan Chargers, where he scored 558 runs in two seasons. He was ultimately done away as captain by the team management in favour of Cameron White, former Australia T20 captain. Darren Sammy took his place as the fourth foreign player in the side and both players proved to have the Midas touch towards the tail-end of the tournament, when Sunrisers beat Kolkata Knight Riders to jump into the final four.
In the opening match of the tournament, with Delhi Daredevils losing wickets like it was going out of style, Jayawardene scripted a characteristic rescue, scoring 66 off 52 balls, an innings filled with gentle flicks and dabs, and which helped keep Daredevils in the hunt as they posted 128 against Knight Riders. This however, would prove to be one of the few notable performances of the season for Jayawardene, as Daredevils slipped further and further down the rankings, while their big guns didn't fire. His status as a foreign player also hurt team balance when the runs began to subside. If it wasn't for the captaincy, he would almost certainly have been dropped from the squad entirely.
David Hussey would have almost certainly wished some of his brother's luck could have rubbed off on him this year. David has been a key performer for Kings XI over the past few seasons, scoring over 300 runs in 2008 and 2012 and, once again, much was expected from the T20 stalwart, especially when Adam Gilchrist proved to be a fading force earlier on in the tournament. But when the going got tough, David was unable to capitalise on starts - his highest score being 41 against Rajasthan Royals. His faltering performances hurt the team, especially during a time when they were still tinkering with the order, and were missing the services of Shaun Marsh due to injury.
It can be said that Yuvraj Singh's heroics during the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in 2007, fast-tracked the demand for the IPL. Therefore, it's only fair that his performances are viewed with keen interest. However, this IPL season has been another forgettable year for the batsman. Yuvraj has yet to play a definitive IPL innings, and throughout this edition wasted good starts with poor shots. Pune Warriors never really settled on a position for him, and he was seen more as a floater, who would come in when quick runs were required. One thing to note is that he wasn't selected as captain, despite the lottery which saw Aaron Finch, Ross Taylor and Angelo Mathews getting a chance to lead. He was unable to provide much with the ball either, an attribute that went a long way in helping India secure their first World Cup title in 28 years.
When Daredevils lost their first few games this season, captain Mahela Jayawardene cited the lack of available personnel as a major factor. The personnel he mentioned included the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Jesse Ryder and Morne Morkel, who all enjoyed considerable success in the previous edition. Morkel himself ended up as leading wicket-taker last season, with 25 scalps at an average of 18.12 and an economy of 7.19. This year however, he was a shadow of himself, as he proved hardly penetrative with the new ball, and couldn't fire in his 'Garner-esque' yorkers at the death.
Honourable mentions
Angelo Mathews (PWI) - 11 matches, 172 runs at a strike rate of 123.74Virender Sehwag (DD) - 13 matches, 295 runs at a strike rate of 126.60
Irfan Pathan (DD) - 15 matches, 142 runs at a strike rate of 93.42, 10 wickets at an economy rate of 7.44
Manoj Tiwary (KKR) - 10 matches, 146 runs at a strike rate of 104.28
Adam Gilchrist (KXIP) - 13 matches, 294 runs at a strike rate of 128.38
M Vijay (CSK) - 15 matches, 312 runs at a strike rate of 109.09
Rohan Sharma is a sub-editor with ESPN cricinfo