5 star batsmen who have under performed in IPL over the years

Cricket is up there on the pedestal with religion in India. The way Indians celebrate cricket is hitherto unseen for any other sports. There have been moments that Indians will continue to cherish till their last breath and one of them is the triumph in 2007 World T20. The victory launched a bandwagon. The IPL inspired by the success of T20 world cup became a huge success and in fact, it is considered to be one of the best leagues across the globe.

The game of cricket has reached the position where batsmen are landlords and the bowlers are nothing short of labourers. The IPL is no exception, the game has become so fragile for the bowlers that even the tiniest mistake goes for a maximum. But, people are enjoying the game in the way it's going.

Among many players who have grown immensely on the international stage with IPL, most of them have been batsmen. But many players who were expected to perform much better in this format have failed over the course of time.

Let's look at 5 players who have been disappointing and are overrated in IPL. Yet, they are highly rated among franchises.

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#5 Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell is perhaps the man with the most exasperating power when it comes to the T20 format. No doubt, he has been one of the best T20 batsmen of modern times but has been a sheer disappointment in IPL. Some might point out to his 2014 season in which he amassed 7 fifty-plus scores which included 3 scores in the 90s. Apart from that season, Maxwell has been no short of displeasing.

In 69 matches that he has played, he has only managed to score 1397 runs at a poor average of 22.9. When compared to his average playing for Australia its almost 10 runs less than an inning. Even though he has managed to maintain a strike above 160, but he has failed most of the times.

The 30-year old has played well in Big Bash but IPL is a pressure cooker situation for any player and it will be testing time for him if he fails another one time.

#4 Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch grabbed everybody's eyeballs when he smashed 156 off just 63 balls against England in 2013. But before that storming innings, he took everyone by surprise when he scored 41 off 17 deliveries against CSK in the Champions League 2010 held in South Africa. After that performance, he got picked up for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. Much to the franchise owners disappointment, he never managed to score big runs.

Finch has been a T20 stalwart for Australia. In 46 matches that he has played for his country, he has scored 1601 runs at an impressive average of 41.05 at a brilliant strike rate of 158.51. But, when we compare his IPL stats with his stats in international matches it seems like Finch speaks a different language in IPL.

In 75 IPL matches, Finch has scored 1737 runs at a below-par average of 25.93 and at a dismal strike rate of 130.7. For a player who has been atop in ICC T20 rankings, Finch has been a disappointment in the Indian premier league. He has played for 7 different teams, the most by any player in the league which shows his inconsistency with the bat in a big way.

#3 Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey, the man who became the first Indian to score a T20 century, has had one of the most disappointing careers of his generation. For the talent that the Karnataka lad has, he has under-performed all his life. He could have been the next big thing after his T20 century and 2007 U19-World Cup triumph. Much to his woefulness, it took him more than half a decade to launch himself onto the international stage.

Manish Pandey is a great player to watch when he is on the song. But the case with him is, he is never on song when opportunity lies ahead of him. In his IPL career, he has played for 5 different teams which is testament to his poor form throughout.

While he has managed to have a good record for India in T20s with 538 runs at an impressive average of 41.38, Pandey has never managed to have a consistent IPL tournament. He managed to impress everyone when he scored 93 in 2014 IPL final but his poor form continued in the following year.

In 118 IPL matches, Pandey has scored 2499 runs at a below-par average and strike rate of 28.08 and 119.57 respectively. For a player of his talent, it would be fair to say he has been a disappointment.

#2 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh has played a vital role in some of the greatest moments in Indian history. He is undoubtedly one of the best batsmen that India has produced in white-ball cricket. The match against England in which he unleashed hell by hitting 6 sixes in an over against Stuart Broad made him a massive superstar.

But, let's accept the fact that Yuvraj has been a disappointment in the IPL despite relishing the format. In 128 matches, he has managed to score 2652 runs at an unhealthy average of 24.68 at a mere strike rate of 129.68.

Even though Yuvraj has failed to perform in quite a few seasons, many franchises still rooted for him. RCB brought him for a surprising 14 crores and Delhi Daredevils brought him for a whopping 16 crores. However, much to their disappointment, he never scored as they would have liked him too. Overall, Yuvraj has enjoyed monetary success but hasn't leapfrogged his form in the IPL.

#1 Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum is arguably one of the cleanest strikers of the ball that the game has witnessed. He can clear any boundary rope no matter what size it is. When the first ever IPL game was held in Bangalore on 18th of April in 2008, nobody knew what was coming. But a hour and a half later, everybody's jaw had dropped as they were taken aback by the blitzkrieg that the Kiwi launched with his 158* off just 73 balls. But, ever since that innings, McCullum has never managed to live up to the expectations of his fans and followers.

Even though he launched IPL into what it stands for in today's age, there is no denying the fact that McCullum has been a failure in the tournamnet in terms of runs for a player of his stature. In 109 matches, he has managed to score 2880 runs at a dismal average and strike-rate of 27.69 and 131.74 respectively.

McCullum has shuffled around a lot among franchises. In 11 editions of the IPL, he has played for 5 teams. But still, he couldn't manage to better himself in any of them. He managed to form some good partnerships with Dwayne Smith at CSK. However, for a man who has the fastest test century against his name, much more was expected. It is safe to say he has disappointed all of us with his bits and pieces of sparkle.