Rohit Sharma and Tilak Varma Dismissals. (Photo Source: Surjeet Yadav, Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

The ODI World Cup 2023 is around the corner and the excitement is on a high. The players who last assembled in India for IPL 2023 are back for the global showdown this time. However, since its inception keeping IPL away from International cricket is not easy.

The 

IPL 2023 came up with some exceptional performances and close shave games including the final. Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal took IPL as the golden ticket to make their names but some players were not in prime form during the showpiece franchise event. But, they are back to forget their poor outing and make this World Cup their own.

The IPL has always been a criterion for selecting and eliminating players from the squads. This has been a trend in Team India as well as with other countries over the last few years. However, some players have been able to occupy a place in the World Cup even after having a dismal IPL 2023 and are a vital cog in their respective teams. In the same vein, here we are discussing the players who had a dismal time in the coveted league and yet they made the cut to represent their countries at the global marquee event in the form of the ODI World Cup 2023.

Here are the 5 underperformers of IPL 2023 who made it to World Cup squads:

5. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Rohit Sharma is the skipper of Team India and its most reliable opener as well. He is playing his third World Cup and carrying the burden of a billion fans. Despite a dismal show in IPL 2023 where he captains Mumbai Indians Rohit Sharma must have been the first name penned by the Indian selectors.

He scored 332 runs in IPL 2023 with just two 50+ scores. His average was also 20.75 against his career average of 29.58. Despite his poor show with bat, his team reached the playoffs by grabbing the fourth spot on the table. However, the only good part of this season for him was scoring runs at an SR of 132.80 to prove his new approach to attacking cricket at the top.

He will form a solid opening pair with Shubman Gill, including Virat Kohli as another top-order batter, who will be threatening to all the opponents. Interestingly enough, despite having looked lacklustre with the bat this year, the hitman has seemed to pick up his mojo gradually ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023. Moreover, his ability to clean striking can be his biggest weapon. He scored 5 hundred in the last edition and would like to perform similarly.

 4.

Sam Curran

Sam Curran. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Sam Curran was the most expensive buy of the season with a whopping 18.50 Crore contract. Punjab Kings were not shy at all while signing this bowling all-rounder. However, his performance did not do any justice to the price tag as his performance turned out to be quite below par.

In 14 matches he scored 276 runs and picked up 10 wickets. Curran was considered to be one of the biggest reasons for Punjab Kings failing to qualify for the playoffs. He was bought with his ability to bowl at the death and his power-hitting prowess but with the performance that he delivered, Punjab may opt to let him in the next auction.

Despite his IPL 2023 failure, England rely highly on Sam Curran’s extraordinary all-round abilities. He won the play of the tournament last year when England won their second T20 World Cup down under. If Curran can repeat the same top-notch performance, his IPL failure will no longer hold any relevance.

 3.

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Hardik Pandya came into the IPL 2023 on the back of winning the trophy in his first attempt as a skipper in 2022. The new role of an anchor and bowling at 140 kmph, looked just picture perfect but the performances did not follow the expectations. Pandya was out of touch throughout the season and kept searching for his form.

If captaincy is discussed, the all-rounder was again exceptional as the Gujarat Titans reached their second consecutive title and just missed the trophy with the last-over heroics of Ravindra Jadeja. But Pandya’s 346 runs and mere 3 wickets in the tournament raised a lot of eyebrows. However, the thing that was more questioned was his approach as he scored these runs at a strike rate (SR) of 136.76, which is well below his career SR of 145.86.

His role in this Indian lineup has been elevated from his first ODI World Cup, as he has been named Rohit Sharma’s deputy. With extra responsibility, all eyes will be on how he manages to keep the scoring rate high as a finisher, with all set to play for Team India at the number six slot. India’s bowling balance also lies firmly on his experienced shoulder as he has consistently provided more than five overs per match with the ability to bowl above 140 kmph speed.

 2.

Aiden Markram

Aiden Markram (R) and Quinton de Kock (L) of South Africa. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images)

Aiden Markram is the 4th ranked batter and all-rounder in T20I cricket and has been a pillar for South Africa. His ability to control the innings as an anchor and up the tempo when needed sets him apart from the rest of the players around. He was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad as they looked to replace Nicholas Pooran, but Markram’s performance turned out to be shoddy which they would not have expected.

Markram scored 248 runs with an SR of 125.89 and struggled to win matches for his franchise. However, apart from his batting he was also shouldering the captaincy mettle and the team’s below-par performance took a toll on his performance as well. He identifies as an all-rounder but bowled only 49 balls in the season with minimal success.

Despite his unsuccessful IPL 2023, Aiden Markram will play as a senior player in the South African setup. He will play as their sixth bowling option which is an important role in ODIs and will play as an anchor at the top of the order. South Africa defeated Australia in the five-match series after being down 2-0 and with that, they are being looked at as one of the contenders by several cricket pundits.

 1.

Lockie Ferguson

Lockie Ferguson. (Photo by MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP via Getty Images)

Arguably one of the fastest bowlers in the current era, Lockie Ferguson has proven to be a match-winner with the ball in the limited overs format. With Trent Boult and Tim Southee bowling with the new ball, Ferguson has been exceptional for New Zealand with the old ball at the fag end of the games. He bowls with sheer pace and ensures to keep the batters at bay.

The fearsome pacer was acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping 10 Crores but his impact didn’t justify his price tag. In the three games that he played, Lockie Ferguson chipped in with just one wicket with an economy rate of over 12. The pacer also warmed the bench for most of the season.

However, for New Zealand, his role is as important as anyone. In the 50 overs side, he will be crucial in taking wickets in the middle overs and being economical at the death. Hence the Black Caps will hope to end their World Cup draught after missing out in the Finals of the last two editions.