The flop XI of IPL 2019

The Indian Premier League has once again proved why it's the most competitive, hard-fought and prestigious T20 festival across the globe. Five weeks of breathtaking cricketing action has flashed by, leaving us all with memorable encounters and nail-biting finishes.

The competition had it all. It brought out young, budding talent, pushed professionals to their limits and produced top quality cricket.

Each side had match-winners, game-changers and X-factors who know the success formula by heart. But there were also players who let their teams down and failed to justify their credentials. On that note, we look at the most disappointing XI of this season's IPL.

1. Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw's swashbuckling 99 against KKR seems like an age ago as the teenage sensation has endured a poor IPL since. Barring that score, he has just 193 runs in 13 matches.

Shaw has looked bright in the power play but has not lasted long at the crease. Despite being an opener, the elegant stroke-maker has faced just 220 deliveries. It's worrying for a side that will play the eliminator in a couple of days.

Shikhar Dhawan and skipper Shreyas Iyer have led the way for DC but neither has been able to play with freedom. More often than not, it's because Delhi lose a wicket early in the innings.

2. Evin Lewis

Ahead of the season, MI had a selection headache for the second opener spot. They chose to go with Quinton de Kock and it's paid dividends. However, one man who suffered from this was West Indies hard-hitter Evin Lewis.

Lewis has played three innings but has not capitalised on the chances. The southpaw averages just 16 and is hitting at an unpardonable 92 strike rate. On an Eden Gardens belter chasing 233 against KKR, he took 16 balls for 15 - an innings that never got going. That pretty much sums up his season.

3. Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu is probably having the worst time of his career at present. Despite batting at number 4 for India after the last IPL, he was snubbed for the World Cup by selectors due to a slump in form since Christmas.

Now, he's struggling in the IPL as well. CSK have struggled to score runs at the top of the order, leaving MS Dhoni with a larger responsibility to play anchor and finisher for the team.

Rayudu certainly needs to take the blame as he has mustered 219 runs at a horrendous strike rate of 90.

4. Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar's IPL season with just 219 runs has raised many questions. If one leaves aside his first two knocks for Sunrisers, the former CSK man has just 144 runs in 143 balls to his name.

His all-round abilities haven't impressed either as Shankar has a solitary wicket this season. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder is a substantial factor behind SRH's middle order woes.

5. Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan is arguably the first name on this team sheet. SRH put faith in him early in the season but the explosive middle-order batsman totally let them down. He produced a horror show with the bat, recording just 40 runs in 10 innings at an average of 13.33, along with a strike rate of 88.8. In no other IPL does he own worse numbers.

The top three for Hyderabad have done the bulk of the scoring but every time Pathan is asked to steady the ship or finish the innings, he has fallen short. This means that the former India international's career is on its last legs.

6. Kedar Jadhav

Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, and perhaps, Shane Watson, have all contributed with the bat on a couple of occasions. The onus, however, of taking CSK to a defendable total or to chase down a score has fallen on MS Dhoni.

The top order alone cannot be blamed as the ones around Dhoni, Rayudu at 4 and Jadhav at 6, have been non-existent in terms of batting performances. Even in the most difficult situations, the experience of an international player in Jadhav has not come to CSK's rescue.

The numbers speak for it as well as the finisher managed just 162 runs in 12 innings without having bowled a single delivery.

7. Ben Stokes

Every time Ben Stokes got involved with bat or ball, you thought, "This is finally going to be his day." Unfortunately for him and RR, the genuine all-rounder failed to deliver.

He wasn't there when Rajasthan's innings were falling apart and he wasn't there to provide a late cameo. A match-winner by nature, Stokes couldn't chip in with vital overs in the middle or at the death either. In fact, he shipped 17 runs off the last over against CSK, despite claiming the wicket of Dhoni.

Stokes returned with 123 runs in nine matches and six wickets at an economy of over 11.

8. Krishnappa Gowtham

RR's most valuable player last season - Krishnappa Gowtham - was a pale shadow of his all-round best. Neither could he take big wickets or bowl disciplined lines in the power play nor could he contribute with the bat.

As a result, the Karnataka off-spinner was benched by the Royals midway through the season. His bowling average last year was 28.36, while it was a second-rate 166 this time around. With the willow, he could give only 18 runs in seven matches.

9. Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav over the last couple of years has been synonymous with wicket-taker. His story at this IPL, however, was a tragic tale. The chinaman has four wickets in nine matches at an economy of 8.66.

It's sad to see a bowler of his stature reduced to tears after being carted for 28 runs in an over by Moeen Ali, following which he was benched. That was the end of his season.

10. Mohammed Siraj

RCB's biggest concern was crystal clear - bowling in the power play and at the death. Despite the efforts of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Parthiv Patel and Moeen Ali, the bowlers let the team down.

Mohammed Siraj is one culprit who leaked runs, bowled against his fields and hardly picked up wickets. The 24-year-old took just seven wickets in nine games at an economy of 9.55. He was also dropped for the last few matches.

11. Andrew Tye

Andrew Tye has had a rollercoaster ride in the IPL. He made a huge impact for the Gujarat Lions despite limited opportunities, and when given an extended run, the Aussie took home the coveted Purple Cap last season.

This time with the Kings XI, he was not even picked for the first game. Due to the team's chop-and-change policy, the T20 specialist got six games and claimed just three scalps at a costly economy of 10.59. His strike rate with the ball was 44, which was shambolic in comparison to last season's 14.

Dishonourable mentions: Ashton Turner, Tim Southee, Colin Ingram, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Deepak Hooda, Jaydev Unadkat