Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
Listening to Sanjay Manjrekar yell on commentary, which forces me to turn the volume down so as to not wake any of my family members up at 12:30am Sydney time, I thought I would dedicate the “flop” XI of IPL 2018 in his name.
Congratulations to the champions, CSK, who put on a clinic in the final. However, there is always an opportunity for a little fun, so here is my Sanjay Manjrekar “flop” IPL 2018 XI, with a few honourable mentions as well.
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| The coveted trophy, given to all members. |
1. D’Arcy Short (Rajasthan Royals)
After a huge Big Bash League campaign, D’Arcy fell “Short” of expectations in the IPL.
2. Gautam Gambhir (Delhi Daredevils)
If the 30-yard circle was the boundary, poor Gautam still wouldn’t have hit one. Drake says “started at the bottom now we here”. For Gautam, it is “started here now we at the bottom”.
3. Manish Pandey (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
India selectors proved that IPL form doesn’t count to international call ups. Continues to underwhelm, does Pandey.
4. Glenn Maxwell (Delhi Daredevils)
The “Big Show” was a “No Show” in IPL 2018. When I think of Maxwell, I think of a Ferrari that doesn’t work, locked away in a garage.
5. Yuvraj Singh and Aaron Finch (Kings XI Punjab)
Couldn’t split these two. Maybe combined they could come close to the impact one player could provide?
6. Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals)
Most expensive player in the IPL 2018 Auction. Enough said. Offered more punch outside English bars.
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| Underperformed in IPL, joins the England Test team. Tough times. |
7. Wriddhiman Saha (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
If IPL introduced a “leave the ball cap”, Saha would win it easily. Couldn’t catch a cold, either.
8. Axar Patel (Kings XI Punjab)
Did the chicken or the egg come first? This is one of life’s great mysteries. So too is the fact that Axar Patel is rated by Indian selectors.
9. Mitchell Johnson (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Wasn’t pretty. More expensive than dating a woman only in the relationship for your money.
10. Jaydev Unadkat (Rajasthan Royals)
RS 11.5 crore well spent, RR. Unadkat made an all-star XI for IPL 2018.
11. Mohit Sharma (Kings XI Punjab)
Change of name from Mohit to Hit me ‘Mo? The way he bowled, he kept telling batsmen to certainly “Hit me ‘Mo”.
Honourable mentions go to…
Ajinkya Rahane (Rajasthan Royals)
Ajinkya Rahane saw IPL 2018 as an opportunity to show everyone what he can offer for India in their Test tour of England.
Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)
Too inconsistent, in line with his team’s disappointing exit in the league stage.
Colin Munro (Delhi Daredevils)
Three T20I hundreds and a big reputation didn’t amount to much.
Corey Anderson (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
RCB thought he could be the answer to their problems. Didn’t quite turn out that way.
Harbhajan Singh (Chennai Super Kings) and Ravichandran Ashwin (Kings XI Punjab)
Not much impact, at all.
Mayank Agarwal (Kings XI Punjab)
More impact in a game of netball than what Mayank Agarwal provided, unfortunately…
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So, there it is. Hope you had a bit of a chuckle. If not, I’ll try harder next time!
A number of players deserving of the Sanjay Manjrekar Award for IPL 2018. It will be interesting to see what IPL 2019 has in store for us.
For now, it’s time to fully focus on international cricket!
