5 overseas big hitters who failed to make a mark in the Indian Premier League

Flat tracks, short boundaries and quick outfields have made the Indian Premier League a tailor-made tournament for the big hitters. Many overseas players performed well in the IPL and got picked for their national side. The high scoring contests made sure that the likes of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, David Warner, Kieron Pollard and Chris Lynn had a great time.

Some had a good time with the bat, while others struggled. Some reputed big hitters failed to make it to the playing eleven because of their vulnerability against spin. Some went unsold during the auctions because of their poor record against the turning ball.

These are the big hitters who didn't do justice to their talent in the IPL.

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#5 Mitchell Marsh

Mitchell Marsh didn't have a good time in the IPL

The 26-year-old all-rounder from Perth has a good bat swing and can hit the ball miles away. Mitch is a familiar face in the Australian middle order, especially in the 50-over format. He also scored ample amount of runs in the Big Bash League for Perth Scorchers.

He is still remembered for his heroics in a Champions League T20 match against the Dolphins from South Africa in Mohali, where the Perth Scorchers needed 12 runs off two balls, and he smashed a couple of maximums to win the match for his side.

Things had not been the same for him during the IPL. He started his IPL career playing for the Deccan Chargers, back in 2010. He also played for Pune Warriors India and Rising Pune Supergiants, but failed to make a significant mark.

He failed to make it to the playing eleven on a regular basis and just scored 225 runs in 20 matches, at a strike rate of mere 114.8. He is a far better batsman than his IPL figures suggest, and he surely didn't make the most of his abilities.

He won't be seen in action this year, as he decided to opt out of this year's IPL.

#4 Thisara Perera

Thisara Perera was targeted at the rib cage

The all-rounder from Sri Lanka is recognised for his big-hitting ability, especially towards the back end of the innings, and he made some crucial contributions when his country required. Even though he is a good player of spin bowling, for some strange reasons, he failed to make an impact in the IPL.

He started his IPL career playing for the Chennai Super Kings under the captaincy of M.S. Dhoni and since then he played for quite a few IPL franchises, but failed to make any sort of impact with the bat. He warmed the benches in most of the games, and this year he went unsold at the auctions even after having a good tri-series in Bangladesh.

In the 37 matches that he played during the IPL, he only got 422 runs at an average of mere 19.18. He seemed to struggle against the shorter stuff and some pacers targeted his rib cage, which took him out of his comfort zone. The bowlers didn't pitch much of the deliveries in his slogging arc and he had to face a barrage of short stuff, which led to his downfall.

#3 Carlos Brathwaite

Carlos Brathwaite failed miserably with the bat

The 2016 T20 World Cup Final hero, who turned the game on its head in the last over of the match, surprisingly failed to make a mark in the IPL. After his heroics in the World Cup Final, the Daredevils would have expected a lot from him, but he failed to provide any sort of consistency with the bat in his first two seasons. Most of the time he failed to make it to the playing eleven and used to warm the benches.

Even though he scored at an impressive strike rate of 179.25, he only got 95 runs in 10 games, at a miserable average of 11.88. He had nightmares against leg-spinners as he failed to pick the wrong'un, while his cross-batted shots made sure that he was either dismissed plumb in front or the stumps were rattled.

This season he'll be playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and will get an opportunity to do justice to his talent.

#2 Ross Taylor

Ross Taylor had a tough time in the IPL

The veteran from New Zealand is a massive striker of a cricket ball. He scored 17 ODI hundreds striking at 80 plus per hundred balls. He has got a brilliant bat swing, and is a predominant leg-side player.

He has been around for a long time in the IPL and had a great season with the RCB to begin with, but with time his struggle against the turning ball continued. After playing 55 games, he has only scored 1017 runs at a strike rate of mere 123.72.

After he was not retained by RCB, he played for several other franchises but he failed to keep his place in a single franchise. He struggled against spin and his cross-batted shots didn't help his cause. He went unsold in the IPL auctions this year, which is not a surprise at all considering his past performances in the tournament.

#1 Martin Guptill

Martin Guptill is a dangerous batsman but couldn't capitalise in the IPL

At present, the 31-year-old opening batsmen from New Zealand is probably the best striker of a cricket ball in his country. When Guptill gets going, he is a treat to watch. He is a class act and can hit the ball a fair distance.

As far as limited overs cricket is concerned, he is a star batsman and can smash the best of the lot on his day, but like most of the Kiwis, he has been failing to get a grip of the Indian spinners.

He had a late start to his IPL career as he started off his career playing for the Mumbai Indians in 2016 and played for the Kings XI Punjab in 2017 as well.

He just scored 189 runs in 10 games at an average of 21, which is definitely below par for a man of his calibre and when one takes into account that he batted during the power plays, it is even more mediocre. In the sub-continent, the new ball hardly moves and the first few overs are the best time to bat, but he failed to capitalize on the opportunities that he got.

This year he went unsold in the IPL auctions, and it was a bit of a surprise, seein his current form.