IPL 2019: Stars and Flops of the eliminated teams

Rajasthan Royals:

Royals' teamwork was often in question

Stars: Ajinkya Rahane, Jos Buttler, Shreyas Gopal (Special Mention: Riyan Parag)

Though his captaincy was quite uninventive, after relieving those duties, Ajinkya Rahane was sensational. With 393 runs in 14 matches, he was Rajasthan's top scorer. In the eight matches he played, Jos Buttler was equally placed just above Rahane, racking up 311 runs striking at over 150. His departure was a big blow to the Royals. Shreyas Gopal was both miserly and amongst the wickets, scalping 20 at an economy of 7.22. If Rajasthan's strike bowlers could complement his effort, their fate might have been different.

The calm and composed Riyan Parag deserves a special mention, as the 17-year old impressed everyone with his reassuring and calculated batting style.

Flops: Ben Stokes, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni

From being the most valuable player in 2017, Stokes' stocks have come down drastically. 123 runs and 6 wickets in 9 matches is simply unacceptable for a first-choice allrounder. Unadkat and Kulkarni form the flop-twins as they have leaked too many runs without regular wickets, often releasing the pressure built up by economic bowlers like Gopal. They were equally toothless during the powerplay as well. Unadkat leaked runs at more than 10 per over with Dhawal close behind at 9.57. It will be a surprise if either of them is retained by the club.