IPL 2022 | Top 5 players failing to exhibit old form for new franchise

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has always been a monumental tournament for domestic and international players ever since its inauguration in 2008. Countless careers have been moulded and ruined during these fourteen years. The ongoing 2022 edition is no different; few egos, beliefs, and reputations are busted and newer trust, admiration, and convictions have risen.

During the IPL mega auction in February, franchises shelled out money to players they thought would fit the bill, regardless of age, country, and experience. Plenty of purchases were successful, while quite a few were far from the desired results. Several players who excelled with their former franchise could not repeat their encore this time around.

Let's look at players who have had a disappointing time with their current clubs as opposed to their previous ones.

Shardul Thakur: Lord Thakur, as he is fondly named - is having an underwhelming season for Delhi Capitals (DC). One of the main reasons for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) lifting the title in UAE was the all-rounder's outing with the ball, where he snatched 21 wickets. However, while his batting has been good for Delhi, the bowling is well below par.

Manish Pandey: Once touted as India's next big thing, Pandey somehow got lost within the crowd. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) brought in the experienced right-hander to stabilize their aggressive line-up but find themselves utterly frustrated by his performances. Since scoring 292 runs in the last edition for Sunrisers Hyderabad in eight matches, the Nainital-born batter for his new franchise has managed just 88 this year from six games.

Jonny Bairstow: The English keeper-batsman has had more misses than hits for the Punjab Kings in IPL 2022. The former SRH player, in the last edition, smacked bowlers all over the park to accumulate 248 runs at an astounding average of 61. However, his average this year has stooped down to 22.44 with a lesser strike rate of 139, down from 141 last year.

Jason Holder: Widely regarded as one of the best all-rounders in world cricket, Holder has been off the mark this season for LSG. Coming in from SRH, Holder has leaked runs quite freely despite being amongst the wickets. Both his economy and average are worse than his days with the Sunrisers. The former Windies captain has also failed to make any presence felt with the bat.

Lockie Ferguson: The speedster failed to grab eyeballs while playing for Gujarat Titans (GT). His raw pace on batting-friendly tracks has ended him bleeding runs for his new franchise at an exorbitant high economy rate. For KKR, he was way economical and had picked up 13 wickets at an average of just 17.23 in the 2021 edition.

Many other players have had poorer outings with their current employers like Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rehman, Karthik Tyagi, KS Bharat, Evin Lewis, and James Neesham. However, their numbers are not covered as they have featured in lesser games this season compared to last year.

Another thing we need to understand is the bio-bubble dynamics. The bubble is taxing, and we downplay that aspect the most. Playing all across the year is no joke, given the lack of freedom these players have to deal with.

Many of the above-mentioned players came straight into the tournament after finishing their international commitments. Thus, a slump in their form, but as professionals, they are to perform regardless.