IPL 2018: Four former T20 World Cup winning stars who have been disastrous so far in this year's IPL

Over the years, IPL has presented a golden opportunity for former cricketers to get into the reckoning for a place in the national side.

There have been instances where consistent performances throughout the season have been rewarded with chances.

However, there are a few players whose form as well as fitness levels have dipped. Owing to this, they are struggling to even find a place in their respective teams in the IPL.

There is a famous saying, "The old gives way for the new". In any sport, there comes a time when you have to call curtains.

If the players don't evaluate themselves and take a decision then the teams will. IPL is a very competitive league where one bad performance by a player can mean the end of the road for the team.

This is especially true as we near the business end of the tournament. Looking at this year's IPL, it seems like some players are past their prime and in all probability, it is a do or die situation for them.

Here are the four world cup winners who have had a disastrous first half:

#4 Kieron Pollard

Keiron Pollard helped West Indies win the World Cup in 2012

Kieron Pollard made his ODI debut in the 2007 World Cup against South Africa. He is known for his powerful shots and was an integral part of the Windies squad when they won the World T20 in 2012.

In T20I's, the burly all-rounder has scored 581 runs at a strike-rate of 131 and picked up 23 wickets for the national team.

During this year's auction, Mumbai Indians retained him using their RTM card for 5.40 crores. Going by his performances during the first half of the IPL, it seems like the decision to retain him has gone wrong.

In the seven matches that he has played, he has just scored 76 runs at an average of 15.2. From being one of the most feared batsmen in the death overs to being a liability in the current side, Pollard's IPL journey seems to have completed a full circle.

With the likes of Ben Cutting in the squad, it will be interesting to see if he gets any more opportunities in the second half of the tournament.

#3 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh has not performed as per the teams expectations — Harbhajan Singh has not performed as per the teams' expectations

One of the most successful off-spinners of the earlier generation, Harbhajan Singh was left high and dry by his previous franchisee.

After spending 10 years with Mumbai Indians, he was snubbed by them and eventually CSK picked him up at the auctions.

The Turbanator as he is popularly called is a very popular figure in the IPL. He has played 142 matches and picked up 130 wickets at an economy rate of 6.98. He was one of the core players of Mumbai Indians who helped them win multiple titles.

During this year's IPL, he has got limited opportunities, thanks to the likes of Jadeja, Karn Sharma and Tahir in the side.

In the six matches that he has played, he has just picked up three wickets and given away 136 runs.

The former World Cup-winning spinner has to step up his game if he harbours hopes of playing any more matches for CSK.

#2 Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir was one of the stars of the 2007 World Cup played in South Africa. His knock of 75(54 balls) was crucial in the final and helped India win the World Cup.

In the IPL, he was the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders and is considered to be one of the most successful as he won 2 titles with the franchise.

Unfortunately, in this year's IPL, he was snubbed by KKR and he was picked up by Delhi Daredevils at his base price of 2 crores.

There was a lot of hype about how Gambhir would turn the fortunes for the Delhi team, instead, it is Gauti's form which has gone for a toss.

He has just scored 85 runs at a pathetic strike-rate of 96.59. Pressure to perform meant that Gauti had to give up his captaincy and dropped himself from the team.

It is indeed sad to see the player who played a pivotal role in helping India win the World Cup struggling to perform in this year's IPL.

#1 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh has been dropped from the Punjab team due to poor performances

The all-rounder is famous for being the first Indian to hit six sixes in an over in the inaugural World Cup.

His fluent stroke-making ability along with his brilliant fielding and bowling made him the most valuable player of the World Cup-winning team.

He commanded a premium price in the IPL and was even the costliest player when he was picked up by RCB in 2016.

His IPL career has been full of ups and downs. He has 2637 runs at an average of 25.11. Cut to this year, and a lot of things have changed.

After being picked by Punjab, his IPL performances for the team were horrendous. His poor batting and shoddy fielding was a heartbreak to many of his fans.

He has just scored 50 runs in six matches at a strike-rate of 89. Contrast this to the Yuvraj of 2007, where he was scoring runs on a consistent basis with a strike-rate in excess of 150.

As a fan of Yuvraj's batting, it breaks my heart when he performs so poorly. Let's hope that he gets a few more chances with Punjab and rediscovers his mojo back.

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