IPL is such a tournament that if a player does not perform consistently, there is no chance of a long rope. Hence, at times, we have noticed players wilt under pressure and they were never able to stitch a comeback. Also, it needs to be noted that with the rise in the contributions of video and data analysts, it is easy to analyse a player after a certain sample size. Hence, even though a player does well in one season, his success is not guaranteed in the next. On that note, here, we take a look at a strong playing 11 of cricketers who started well in IPL but later faded away.
Openers: Paul Valthaty and Manvinder Bisla
It will be an Indian opening duo for this playing 11 comprising cricketers who started well in IPL but later faded away. Paul Valthaty is one of the first names that come to mind when it is about a player fading away in IPL. When centuries by Indian cricketers in IPL were not common, an uncapped cricketer who did not have great domestic experience, hit a century, that too, against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings. In the entire IPL 2011, Paul was brilliant for Punjab Kings. However, he never got going after that. He recently donned the role of a commentator.
Bisla was a perfect T20 batter. He made impact contributions and in some games, when he was at the crease for long, he took the game away from the opposition. This happened in the finals of IPL 2012 when he scored 89 runs. After that knock, he failed to continue his form. He is currently in the backroom staff of Lucknow Super Giants.
When Paul Valthaty became a household name #OTD in 2011 https://t.co/jVKvY1hPtg
— Amol Karhadkar (@karhacter) April 13, 2022
Middle-Order: Swapnil Asnodkar and George Bailey
Swapnil Asnodkar is an opener but for the balance of this XI, he plays at No.3. He scored more than 300 runs in IPL 2008 and impressed everyone. But, the Goa player could not continue the form and faded away.
George Bailey had some fine outings in IPL 2014 and 2015. He even led Punjab to the finals in 2014. However, the Aussie middle-order batter could not remain long in the tournament. The same held well even in the Australian T20I squad.
All-Rounders: Ravi Bopara, Abhishek Nayar and Kevon Cooper
Ravi Bopara was one of the elite English T20 players back then. He even has some fine knocks in his name in the IPL. However, he could not sustain that form and soon lost his place. It has been a while since Bopara played in the IPL.
Abhishek Nayar scored runs at a strike rate of 149 in IPL 2008 in the middle order. For a left-hander that was brilliant. He even got a chance to play for India. But, the Mumbai cricketer could not pull off another successful IPL campaign. Representing Rajasthan Royals, Kevon Cooper was rated highly back then. His ability to produce variations at the death, including some yorkers, had left many impressed. He even struck some big hits in the lower order. Not only in the IPL, but Kevon also did not find success for his country, too.
Bowlers: Manpreet Gony, Iqbal Abdullah, Rahul Sharma and Kamran Khan
Rahul Sharma and Iqbal Abdullah will lead the spin attack for this playing 11 comprising cricketers who started well in IPL but later faded away. Both Rahul and Iqbal picked 16 wickets each in IPL 2011. After that season, they could not continue the momentum. In domestic cricket, too, both lost opportunities. Rahul Sharma recently retired from the game while Iqbal is still playing.
Many felt CSK did not have a strong pace attack in IPL 2008. However, Gony picked 17 wickets and helped CSK reach the finals. He played until 2017 in IPL but never picked up more than 7 wickets in a season. He currently plays a lot of tournaments for retired cricketers. Kamran Khan was handpicked by Shane Warne from a tennis ball tournament. The raw left-arm speedster got some famous players like Chris Gayle out. That said, he soon faded away and there is no news about his whereabouts now.
