As the coveted Indian Premier League 2023 enters its business end, there's hardly anything that one could have asked for which has not been delivered yet. From big scores being chased down with ease to teams defending paltry totals, we have seen it all. Players are unleashing their true potential to win matches for their respective teams and some of them have been absolutely phenomenal.
With the points table race remaining wide open, the rush and excitement have brought the top-tier stuff out of many players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal this week. However, it hasn't been the same for some of the other established cricketers.
With IPL 2023 being in its sixth week with only a few matches to go before it reaches the playoffs stage, we consider creating a Playing XI out of players who couldn't deliver well in the sixth week.
Here's a look at the Flop XI from week six of IPL 2023:
1. Rohit Sharma (MI)
Mumbai Indians took on Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the sixth week of IPL and both matches, as expected, were high-time adrenaline for the IPL fans. Although MI went down against CSK at Chepauk, the five-time champion side was at their absolute best against RCB and chased down a target of 200 with 21 balls to spare.
Although MI didn't start the tournament on a great note and were finding it tough to get it rolling in the middle stages as well, the side has surely found the correct mix of players and mindset, and are well and truly on the path to giving a tough fight to other teams in the playoffs race. However, Rohit Sharma has not been able to cash in on the starts he has received and has struggled to make runs which he would have loved to see against his name.
The MI captain has had a tough season so far in the Indian Premier League and has been finding it hard to churn out runs in his usual effortless style. Rohit, known for his attacking opening batting and effortless pull shots has not been able to create a huge impact for MI with his batting skills, and returned with scores of a duck and seven runs against CSK and DC, respectively, in the sixth week.
2. David Warner (DC)
Delhi Capitals, in the absence of their skipper Rishabh Pant, have struggled with team combination, which has resulted in a dismal performance for the team in this year's IPL. The sixth week of IPL was again a mix of how the league has flared for the Delhi side.
DC had matches against RCB and CSK which were played in Delhi and Chennai, respectively. Although DC went on to win the game against RCB, they lost their next league game against CSK to further trim their playoff chances. Additionally, David Warner, the captain of DC, was also unable to make a notable contribution in the sixth week of the IPL.
Warner started the season on a roll and stacked up some crucial half-centuries when the Delhi side was struggling to win matches, therefore coming out as the only positive for DC, after Axar Patel. In the sixth week, however, Warner was unable to perform at par with his abilities and managed to score only 22 runs in two games which includes a first-ball duck against CSK.
3. Anuj Rawat (RCB)
RCB have had a topsy-turvy tournament to describe in short and are now struggling to get into the race for playoffs. The Bangalore-based side has been able to put runs on the board; however, this week, on both occasions that the team played, the opposition was able to chase it down with ease.
The top-heavy batting line-up has been able to put runs on the board but has failed to defend those on account of their poor bowling performance. In the batting unit too, there had been gaps that the team failed to bridge. One such batter who couldn't impress the fans was Anuj Rawat. Rawat has been unable to create an impact in the chances he has received in this year's edition of IPL.
In the sixth week of IPL, Anuj Rawat got the opportunity to bat against both Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians but wasn't able to leave a mark in either of the two games. In both the matches combined, he could only manage to score a total of 14 runs, which includes a three-ball eight runs against DC in Delhi, where he stood not out in the first innings. The batter has only managed to score 39 runs in the first five innings he played in IPL 2023, before returning with an impressive 29-run cameo against Rajasthan.
4. Ambati Rayudu (CSK)
Chennai Super Kings has been on a roll in this year's IPL and are in the second spot in the points table after being in the bottom two in the previous edition. The all-round efforts by the CSK players have been excellent to watch and that coupled with MS Dhoni's finishing touches have often managed to do the job for CSK.
In the sixth week of IPL, CSK locked horns with MI and DC at their home ground and as expected, returned with wins in both the games rather comfortably. However, the games were not that great for Ambati Rayudu. Rayudu has been playing for CSK for quite a few years now and has been a vital cog for CSK. This year with the Impact Player rule, Dhoni has been using him in that capacity, more often than not.
Rayudu, playing both the matches against MI and DC, could only manage scores of 12 and 23, respectively. Rayudu would be rather disappointed with his performances as on both occasions, he had plenty of overs to make a big score for himself and could have even stayed till the end to finish the first game against MI where CSK were chasing a modest total of 140.
5. Krunal Pandya (LSG)
Lucknow Super Giants have been a force to reckon with and are currently placed fifth on the points table with 13 points against their name. However, they had to let go of the services of their captain, KL Rahul, who got injured in their match against RCB, and Krunal Pandya took over the responsibility of captaining the side.
LSG had a solitary match in the sixth week of IPL and were on the losing side after GT put on a huge total of 227 in their quota of 20 overs. The excellent innings by Shubman Gill was a treat to watch and Wriddhiman Saha was also at his absolute best when he gave GT a cracking start in that game with a quick-fire 81 off 43 balls.
For LSG, their new skipper, Krunal Pandya found it challenging against GT and was out for a first-ball duck when he came on to bat in the chase. Moreover, he was on the expensive side with the ball as well in the first innings, as he gave away 38 runs in his share of four overs without picking up any wickets.
6. Marcus Stoinis (LSG)
Lucknow Super Giants played a solitary game in the sixth week of IPL and that was against Gujarat Titans which ended up being a high-scoring game. LSG were unable to chase the target of 228 and lost the match by a huge margin of 56 runs. The match was held at Narendra Modi Stadium and the home side GT, who are also the table toppers, brought their A game in the clash.
GT were on a roll after they were put into bat and scored a mammoth 227 in their 20 overs. The LSG bowling line-up faced the brunt of GT's brutal batting display and were facing it tough to contain the batsmen from scoring freely. Both Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill were at their absolute best and didn't leave any chance to make the bowlers pay for the loose balls they bowled.
Marcus Stoinis was also smashed for 20 runs when he came on to bowl in the 15th over, which also ended up being his solitary over in the innings. In the second innings as well, Stoinis wasn't able to make any impact with the bat and only scored four runs off nine balls before being caught by Mohammad Shami off the bowling of Mohit Sharma.
7. Sam Curran (PBKS)
Punjab Kings had a promising start to the IPL with a couple of wins in their opening encounters. However, they have found themselves in a pickle after that. The side has looked in doubt when on the field and has managed only ten points from their 11 games.
In the sixth week of IPL, PBKS took on KKR at Eden Gardens and after choosing to bat first, put a score of 179 on the board. However, it was chased down by KKR in another nail-biting finish in the 2023 IPL. Andre Russell and Rinku Singh stayed till the end to get KKR home and Russell was awarded the Player Of The Match for his all-round efforts.
Sam Curran, PBKS' biggest auction buy, was unable to come up with stand-out performances both with the bat and bowl in the match against KKR. Curran only managed to score four runs when he came in to bat in the first innings and with the bowl he gave away 44 runs in just three overs.
8.) Wanindu Hasaranga (RCB)
RCB have had a tough week, losing both the matches against DC and MI, and would be concerned about how to turn the tables and make it to the top four, amid the heated race for playoffs. RCB have managed only average performance this season and are currently placed in sixth position.
The lack of bowling options has hurt RCB in the past as well and this year too, the story hasn't been too different. The bowling lineup has leaked runs and the side has found it tough to defend totals this week in their matches against DC and MI. The opposition was able to chase down totals without any hassle and it wasn't a great sight for the RCB fan.
Wanindu Hasaranga, too, was taken for plenty in his two appearances, as in the clash against DC, he returned with figures of 4-0-32-0, whereas in the match against MI, although picking up two wickets, he was on the expensive side and gave away 53 runs in his share of overs. The leggie would want to contribute more with both bat and ball in the remaining games as the sixth week of IPL couldn't witness any magic off Hasaranga.
9. Mayank Markande (SRH)
SRH was part of a thriller when they took on RR in Jaipur and the match which seemed done and dusted for SRH was won off the last ball when Sandeep Sharma bowled a no-ball in the final delivery, which was hit for a six by Abdul Samad.
The game was a high-scoring thriller and RR put on a massive total of 214 on the board. The match got even more exciting when SRH needed 41 of the last two overs and Glenn Phillips smashed Kuldip Yadav for 26 runs off the penultimate over and it was the final ball drama that took away the game from RR's hands.
However, in the first innings, SRH bowlers struggled with their lengths and Mayank Markande, who had a great first half in IPL 2023, was unable to contribute significantly with the bowl. Markande gave away 51 runs in his share of overs and returned wicketless in that match. Mayank would like to get among the wickets again and would surely want to be more economical in the remaining games.
10. Harshal Patel(RCB)
RCB required their bowling unit to step up in the final stages of the league games in IPL but this year too the story hasn't been too different from how they have performed in the death overs in the earlier editions. They have leaked runs at crucial junctions of the games they have played to put RCB in the tricky situation that they currently find themselves in.
Harshal Patel also has been unable to contribute significantly with his bowling spells and has been on the expensive side. The bowler has struggled to deceive batsmen with his slower balls and has found it tough to contain batters from hitting freely against him.
Harshal Patel was part of both the matches RCB played in the sixth week and returned with figures of 2-0-32-1 in the match against DC, and 3.3-0-41-0 against Mumbai. In the combined overs he has bowled in the two matches, Harshal Patel has been very expensive and has leaked 73 runs in just 5.3 overs, picking up just a solitary wicket.
11. Mohammed Siraj (RCB)
RCB has time and again trusted Mohammad Siraj with his bowling and he has given great returns as well. The aggressive bowler has been the spearhead for the RCB bowling lineup and has taken 12 wickets this season in as many matches.
RCB, in the sixth week of IPL, sustained two losses against DC and MI and were unable to defend a rather par score on both occasions. The aggressive nature of Siraj was put to the test in these matches and the opposition batters charged upon him as if they were trying to send out a statement to the RCB side.
Siraj didn't have the greatest of time in the sixth week and was taken for runs in both the encounters against DC and MI. Siraj had figures of 2-0-28-0 and 3-0-31-0 against DC and MI respectively and was unable to pick any wickets in either of the encounters.
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