IPL 2018: 4 overseas stars who may never be seen in the IPL again

James Faulkner

James Fa

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One of the best death bowlers in the IPL, Faulkner took the tournament by storm with his pace variations and toe-crushing yorkers. Though the Tasmanian represented four different franchises in the IPL so far - the Pune Warriors India, Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Lions - his stint with Rajasthan was his most successful one.

In the three seasons he played for the inaugural IPL champions (2013-2015), he scored 382 runs and took 47 wickets and was one of their key players. But after moving to the now-defunct Gujarat Lions in 2016 due to the two-year suspension of Rajasthan Royals, he failed to replicate his success.

He played just 15 matches over two seasons for the Rajkot-based franchise, picking up just 8 wickets. In 60 IPL matches, Faulkner has scored 527 runs at a strike-rate of 135.47 and has taken 59 wickets at an economy of 8.69, with his best figures being 5 for 16.

Faulkner remains the only bowler till date to have taken two five-wicket hauls in the IPL. His poor outing in the last two editions with the Gujarat Lions and an enormous base price of INR 2 crore certainly contributed to Faulkner going unsold in the 2018 IPL auctions. Also, the fact that he is not a permanent fixture in the Australian national team is a major cause for concern.