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/dʌd/
a thing that fails to work properly or is otherwise unsatisfactory or worthless
Not worthless, we don’t want to offend anyone here but quite a few players delivered unsatisfactory returns for their side. Hence, here is Cricket.com's Dud XI of IPL 2023. Remember, no offence.
Prithvi Shaw
8 inn, 106 runs, 13.3 average, 124.7 strike-rate
Before the start of the season, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting hinted that this could be Shaw’s year in IPL. Proving his coach wrong in every way possible, Shaw was the least impactful opener of the season, surpassing the likes of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and a few others.
Shaw lost his place in the side and scored a fifty after his comeback but even that came at a sub-par strike-rate.
KL Rahul ( c )
9 inn, 274 runs, 34.3 average, 113.2 strike-rate
The Lucknow skipper had an underwhelming season. The expectations from Rahul were to improve his strike-rate while maintaining the same insatiable hunger for runs. However, the right-hander suffered on both fronts.
You may want to cut him some slack for playing on the sluggish home tracks of the Ekana stadium. But then there was his 18 off 20 balls in a run-chase of 213 against Bangalore. It was an innings that was detrimental to the chances of his own teams. Rahul scored two half-centuries in the season and both came in a losing cause.
Overall, Rahul’s reserved approach left many perplexed and caused his team to lose two points on multiple occasions. He was ruled out after nine matches due to a quadricep injury but had done enough harm to pip a few other candidates for the second opener’s role. He is also the captain of this side.
Deepak Hooda
12 inn, 84 runs, 7.6 average, 93.3 strike-rate
The numbers speak for Hooda’s season. He couldn’t cross the 100-run mark after playing 12 innings. With a single-digit average and a double-digit strike-rate, Hooda had one of the worst seasons for any top-order batter. He batted seven out of his 12 innings in the top three.
Hooda was dropped midway and then brought back with expectations of a turnaround. However, in the all-important Eliminator, Hooda was involved in three run outs, including a collision with Marcus Stoinis that was catastrophic to Lucknow’s fate in the season.
Nothing went right for Hooda and his spot in the Indian team and the Lucknow side, both are in danger.
Harry Brook
11 inn, 190 runs, 21.1 average, 123.4 strike-rate
Brook’s season can be divided into segments. The first has only one entry - an unbeaten 100 at the Eden Gardens. Around that, there were only 90 runs in 10 innings. Brook averaged 11.3 in those 10 innings, going at a strike-rate of 90.9. Barring that one hundred, Brook’s season was not much different than that of Hooda.
Hyderabad made various adjustments in their line-up to accommodate Brook. They batted him at five, they made him open despite having four other prominent openers in the side. The Yorkshireman, however, couldn’t get going at any spot. In the end, he turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments of the season. His team also finished bottom of the points table.
Riyan Parag
7 inn, 78 runs, 18 average, 118.2 strike-rate
Another poor season for Riyan Parag. He couldn’t cross the 20-run mark in IPL 2023. Rajasthan had a number of finishers stepping up on various instances but Parag was never one of them.
Dhruv Jurel’s rise helped Rajasthan to absorb Parag’s underpar numbers. The same can now lead to Parag being released by the franchise as well when the next auction looms closer.
Dinesh Karthik (wk)
13 inn, 140 runs, 11.7 average, 134.6 strike-rate
As a result, Bangalore couldn’t materialize the form of Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Faf du Plessis at the top with a final flourish. A more concerning stat emerged when Bangalore batted were chasing. Karthik was required to bat four times in a run chase. RCB have lost three of these games. In the only game they won, Karthik was out for a duck.
Shahbaz Ahmed
Innings 6, Runs 42, Strike-Rate 107.7, Wickets 1, Economy 13.6
Bangalore’s emerging star, Shahbaz Ahmed had a season to forget. His batting numbers were minuscule in comparison to what he did last year. Moving up and down in the order, the left-hander managed only three fours and one six across six innings.
The batters took him on. Shahbaz played nine of his 10 games in high-scoring venues. Still, his economy of 13.6 is too high for a left-arm spinner. In addition, he managed only one wicket. Shahbaz, the least influential spin-bowling all-rounder in the competition, comes in at number seven in our Dud XI.
Jason Holder
Innings 3, Runs 12, Strike-Rate 109.1, Wickets 4, Economy 10
As the only bonafide all-rounder in the squad, Holder was supposed to be a critical player in Rajasthan’s squad this year. Even with the impact player rule diminishing the value of all-rounder, Holder had a chance to cement his spot as the second seamer and a valuable lower-order batter. However, the Caribbean cricketer failed on both metrics.
It would be harsh to judge him on the batting metrics. With the ball, he picked only four wickets in 28.3 overs. He didn’t scratch much on the economy front also, leaking runs at 10 per over. He had an economy of 9 in the powerplay, 9.5 in the middle-overs and 10.8 during the slog overs.
Barring the high-scoring game against Punjab where Holder allowed only 16 runs in his two overs at the death, he took a beating in every game. Tasked to save 17 off the final over against Mumbai, Holder delivered three full tosses, each more hittable than the previous one. He went for three successive sixes which ended his stint in the month of April itself.
Chris Jordan
6 inn, 3 wickets, 79 average, 10.8 economy
Jordan’s reputation as a death overs specialist took further beating this season. For bowlers who bowled at least 10 overs at the death this year, Jordan’s economy of 11.7 was the worst for an overseas pacer. He also conceded at 11 during the middle-overs.
Jordan came in as an injury replacement for Jofra Archer. Both bowlers were strong contenders for the number nine spot. In the end, Jordan wins this unfortunate bout on account of playing one game more than Archer.
Also, remember when he knocked over his teammate Ishan Kishan inadvertently with his elbow in Qualifier 2. It ruled out Kishan from the run chase. Jordan just catch a break for himself in IPL 2023.
Maheesh Theekshana
13 inn, 11 wickets, 35.6 average, 8 economy
The only member from the season champions in this XI, Maheesh Theekshana was surprisingly off rhythm in this year’s IPL. You expect a much better economy from a spinner like him. At Chepauk, one of the most spin-friendly venues in the competition, Theekshana went at an economy of 8. He also picked only three wickets in seven matches there.
Theekshana suffered further on flatter tracks. In the final, he was taken for 0/36 in his four overs. His economy of 9 was lower than the average run-rate of the game but he was still ineffective.
In addition, Theekshana fielded poorly. He dropped a few catches. In the final alone, he allowed a few boundaries in the field.
On the Criclytics impact sheet, the Sri Lankan was the least effective specialist spinner throughout the season, with the likes of Rahul Chahar and Wanindu Hasaranga being the other prominent contenders.
Umran Malik
8 inn, 5 wickets, 43.4 average, 10.9 economy
Umran Malik’s stars came crashing down in the 2023 edition of IPL. Among the 59 bowlers who bowled 20 overs or more, his economy of 10.9 was the worst. Four times in the season, he leaked more than 20 runs in an over. The right-arm seamer also went wicketless in his last four games.
The bummer of a season has pushed Umran way back in the pecking order from the national team’s perspective.
Impact Player: Avesh Khan
9 inn, 8 wickets, 35.4 average, 9.8 economy
Avesh Khan is our impact sub in this XI. The Lucknow seamer had one impactful performance where he won the player-of-the-match award for his 3/25. Barring that, Avesh picked only five wickets in eight games.
Considering he picked 42 wickets across the preceding two IPL seasons, this year was a major disappointment for the 26-year old. Much like Umran, Avesh’s chances of donning the India jersey look bleak in the near future.
Three players from Lucknow, two each from Bangalore, Rajasthan and Hyderabad and one entry from Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai
