Mohit Sharma. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the world’s largest and richest franchise cricket league and serves as a huge platform for players across the globe to showcase their talent. Since its inception in 2008, both domestic and overseas players have managed to grab attention with exceptional performances in their respective departments.

The 2024 season also witnessed such exciting action and finally an Indian captain – Shreyas Iyer of Kolkata Knight Riders) lifted the coveted crown. While many Indian players, both capped and uncapped, excelled for their franchises, a few failed to shine. Some of them have had a huge impact on the team’s campaign and created a lot of headaches for the team.

Here is the flop Indian XI of the IPL 2024:

Openers: Wriddhiman Saha, Ajinkya Rahane

Gujarat Titans (GT) had a horror campaign in the 2024 season after enjoying successful outings in the previous two editions. A lot went wrong for the 2022 champions, one of which was a poor opening pair. While many teams got huge gains from aggressive starts from their openers, GT failed to achieve that benefit and the main culprit was Wriddhiman Saha. The keeper-batter managed just 136 runs in nine innings at an average of 15.11 and a strike rate of 118.26.

The 2023 season saw the redemption of Ajinkya Rahane, scoring consistently at an impressive strike rate. However, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) did not get the expected service from the veteran in the 2024 edition. The right-hander was first tested at No. 3 and later opened the innings. But the result was never in favour of the team. Rahane scored just 242 runs in 12 innings at an average of 20.16 and a strike rate of 123.46.

Also Read: IPL 2024: Teamwise Unsung Hero of the Tournament

Middle-order: Devdutt Padikkal, Deepak Hooda, Jitesh Sharma (wk)

Devdutt Padikkal was one of the players who failed the most this season. The Indian youngster previously had a good season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) but struggled to find runs while with Rajasthan Royals (RR). One of the reasons behind his poor performance can be attributed to a change in batting position. While the southpaw opened the innings for RCB, RR asked him to play in the middle order. Traded to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the 2024 season, he had to play at one down. Padikkal contributed just 38 runs in seven outings this season, including two ducks.

Deepak Hooda replaced the struggling Devdutt Padikkal in the LSG XI. However, there was no difference in outcomes. The Lucknow franchise, who finished seventh in the points table, did not get much service from him in either department. Hooda scored just 145 runs in his nine innings at an average of 18.12 and a strike rate of 138.09.

Jitesh Sharma played 14 matches for Punjab Kings (PBKS) and in none of them, he was able to play an impressive knock. Batting in the middle order, Punjab did not get much help from his bat to raise the team’s score. The keeper-batter scored just 187 runs at an average of 18.20, with a highest score of 32*.

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar

Hardik Pandya’s return to his former franchise could not be worse than what we saw. The star all-rounder led Gujarat Titans (GT) to glory in 2022 and the finals the following season. Despite all the success, Pandya decided to move to Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the 2024 season as their skipper. However, the five-time champions endured one of the worst seasons in their history, finishing last in the points table. Pandya also failed to shine in both departments, scoring 216 runs from 13 innings and picking up 11 wickets at an economy of 10.75.

Vijay Shankar mostly featured as an Impact Player in the GT line-up, but it is safe to say that the all-rounder has not been able to make much of an impact in both departments. Batting in the lower middle-order, the right-hander managed just 83 runs from seven innings at an average of 16.60 and a poor strike rate of 115.27.

Bowlers: Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohit Sharma

Shardul Thakur did not get a chance in CSK’s initial matches this season. The right-arm pacer was crucial for the Yellow Army in the past but could not live up to expectations this time. Thakur managed to take just five wickets in nine matches at an average of 61.8 and an economy of 9.75.

Deepak Chahar played in just eight matches and failed to make an impact on any occasion. The right-arm pacer is known for providing early breakthroughs with his swing, but CSK did not get off to such a strong start this time around. He took five wickets at an average of 40.4 and an economy of 8.59.

Also Read: IPL 2024: Top 10 best bowlers of the season

Ravi Bishnoi, who has performed well for India in recent times, was expected to play a key role for LSG this time around. But the leg-spinner managed to take only 10 wickets in 14 matches and often failed to give crucial breakthroughs. Mohit Sharma was regarded as GT’s main weapon in the bowling unit, but the right-arm pacer lacked sharpness this season. He took 13 wickets in 12 matches but conceded an economy rate of 10.89. 

Flop Indian XI of the IPL 2024

Wriddhiman Saha, Ajinkya Rahane, Devdutt Padikkal, Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohit Sharma

Impact Substitute: Mahipal Lomror