INDIA: The IPL is India’s most-loved cricket league, and it will not be an exaggeration to say it is also the world’s most-loved. Fans are crazy about the IPL. They wait each year for their respective favourite teams to get on the field. The IPL auctions saw some crazy bids this year as well. Some players perform better than others; therefore, some players are costlier.
Although there are many more factors, like team requirements and team balance, that determine the player’s worth, the player’s performance is a vital factor in the price tag he carries.
The players who are sold at higher prices are anticipated to perform well, but this is not always the case, and we have seen it in previous years of the IPL. Hence, we bring you the most underrated and overrated players of IPL 2023 based on the hype and attention they get, not necessarily their performance.
Top 5 underrated players of IPL 2023
Ajinkya Rahane: When the IPL commenced, Rahane was not even the first choice to play for CSK. Rahane only got into the team after Ben Stokes suffered an injury.
IPL 2023 saw a brand new Rahane; he scored 224 runs with a strike rate close to 190 in six matches so far. CSK got Rahane for just 50 lakhs, and the game he is playing so far is worth crores.
Dhruv Jurel: RR got a very good finisher in just 20 lakhs. He is finishing most of the matches for them. Don’t judge him by his runs; look at the strike rate at which he is playing, 196. RR’s regular finisher, Shimon Hetmyer, has a strike rate of 160, and not to forget, he is an 8.50 crore player.
Quinton de Kock: It doesn’t matter which franchise you are; you cannot bench de Kock. He is an experienced player in the IPL, and LSG must make room for him in the team. We know that Kyle Mayers is performing well but he is playing at the expense of de Kock.
De Kock has scored 508 in IPL 2022, including a century (140*). Also, he scored a brilliant century against the West Indies recently; the guy is in tremendous form.
Shikhar Dhawan: Dhawan is in terrific form, and he is not getting as much attention as he deserves. Right now, he is temporarily out due to injury, but he has already scored 233 runs in just 4 matches, including a 99* inning; he is averaging a whopping 116.50 in IPL 2023 so far. As soon as Dhawan returns to PBKS, he is expected to score again.
Shivam Dubey: He is getting his chances, batting up the order from CSK, but still, he was not in talks until yesterday’s match against RR, where he scored his third consecutive 50 in IPL 2023. Just see him bat; he hits the ball so hard and far that it is a treat for fans to see him bat.
Top 5 overrated players of IPL 2023
Jofra Archer: MI definitely must have expected more from him than his performance so far in IPL 2023.
The expectation was raised for him because Jasprit Bumrah is missing IPL 2023. But Archer’s performance could have been better; he bowled only 8 overs in this IPL so far and gave away 75 runs.
KL Rahul: KL Rahul’s IPL stats speak for themselves, but this is not the case so far in this IPL. He has scored 2 half-centuries in IPL 2023 in 7 matches, but the problem is his strike rate; it’s only 113, and as a highly expensive tag, it is a low strike rate. Rahul is a talented batsman, but in this IPL, he is struggling with the bat.
Dinesh Karthik: 8 innings, 83 runs at an avg. of 11.86; this is what Karthik’s IPL 2023 looks like; it’s also a big reason why RCB are struggling to finish the game. Half of the matches are over, and how much will he be able to recover from this as a five-and-a-half crore player.
Prithvi Shaw: An 8 crore player with 47 runs in 6 innings, he is the most overrated player on this list. He could be one of the reasons why DC lost five consecutive matches. Although many of the DC batters failed to perform, they were less hyped than Shaw.
Riyan Parag: Twitter users recently quoted a very fitting line about this situation. “Dhruv Jurel is doing what RR expected from Riyan Parag”.
Parag was sold to RR for close to 4 crores, and he only scored 54 runs in 5 innings. His previous IPL performances could be better, and he is still getting so many opportunities.
Also Read: ‘New’ Ajinkya Rahane Credits MS Dhoni for His Performance in IPL 2023
