5 players who failed after bagging big money in IPL

Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has quickly grown in reputation and stature as one of the world's biggest cricketing spectacles. Not only it is one of the most sought-after T20 tournaments globally but also attracts the highest revenues. Consequently, the players are offered lucrative contracts. While it may look all gain for players, the bigger money inevitably means more pressure of the price tag which can take a bearing on the performances of even the international stars. The same has been on display in the IPL throughout its fourteen seasons.

Ahead of the IPL 2021 resumption, here is a look at five IPL players who failed after bagging big money in IPL.

1. Pawan Negi

Pawan Negi attracted a bidding war in the IPL Players Auction out of nowhere. Although he has shown glimpses of brilliance, he was still far from knocking on the door of Indian selectors or from performing extraordinarily in an IPL season. Yet the franchises believed in his potential and he was eventually bought for INR 8.5 crores by the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in the IPL auction in 2016. The pressure clearly reflected on his performances as he managed to take just one wicket in the season, bowling at an economy of 9.33. From then, he never made any notable performances for any side.

2. Tymal Mills

Yet another bowler who sort of came into the limelight in Indian cricketing circles overnight was Tymal Mills. While it was his pace variations that had managed to impress some of the cricketing experts, his name led to a huge bidding war among the franchises who raised his price to more than 20 times his base price of INR 50 lakh. He was eventually bought by the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 12 crores. However, he failed to deliver as expected and picked up five wickets at an economy of 8.57. He couldn't even retain a place for himself in the subsequent season and went unsold in the auctions in 2018.

3. Glenn Maxwell

Following his incredible show for the Kings XI Punjab in 2014, Glenn Maxwell hasn't quite been the same player in the tournament. Yet he has somehow managed to attract huge bids from franchises. He had a forgettable season in 2018 playing for the Delhi franchise. Apart from his 22-ball 47 against KKR, Maxwell couldn't quite deliver and again was included by their former team Punjab who were clearly disappointed with his performances in 2020 where he scored just 108 runs across 13 matches and failed to hit a single six. The Big Show was bought for INR 10.75 crores ahead of the 2020 season. He had a great start to the 2021 season with RCB and it remains to be seen how it concludes for him when the season resumes in UAE.

4. Kevin Pietersen

Delhi Daredevils must have thought they had hit the bullseye after they appointed Kevin Pietersen as captain after buying him for INR 9 Crores in IPL 2014. However, it turned out to be a "costly" mistake as the star England cricketer managed to score only 294 runs from 11 matches averaging just 29 with only one 50-plus score. KP led the team to nine consecutive defeats in the season, a record which he surely wouldn't be proud of. It was a tough season for Pietersen as he had some issues with the England and Wales Cricket Board too.

5. Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh never really turned out to be the player he could have been- given what he showed in the international arena. The stylish left-hander was one of the finest hitters of the cricket ball in limited overs cricket and could hit them a fair distance. However, the IPL hardly saw Yuvi at his best. Turning up for Delhi Daredevils in the 2015 season after the team bought him for a whopping Rs 16 crore, Yuvi managed to score just 248 runs in 14 innings at an average of 19.07 and a strike rate of 118.09. His poor returns meant Delhi endured another poor season and ended up releasing the World Cup winner prior to the next season.