South African players have grabbed eyeballs in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), be it AB de Villiers, David Miller, Hashim Amla or Chris Morris. But there were certain players who couldn't justify their price tags and were more of a liability than an asset for the franchise owners. Here we look at some of the South African stars who were expected to do well but couldn't justify their salary and proved to be a complete disaster for their teams.
Kagiso Rabada
In the auction ahead of IPL 2017, Kagiso Rabada was one of the top buys for the Delhi Daredevils (5 crore). Featuring in the IPL for the first time, Rabada played only six matches for Daredevils and took as many wickets with an economy rate of 8.81.
Though, he returned for national duty mid tournament, his performance was noted but he couldn't justify his price tag.
Kyle Abbott
It came as a surprise when South African fast bowler Kyle Abbott was bought by Kings XI Punjab for Rs.2.1 crore especially after he had started out with a base price of Rs. 30 lakh. He proved to be a complete disaster for the Punjab franchise as he took only two wickets in the five matches that he played conceding 177 runs at an economy of 11.06.
Not only did he struggle to pick wickets but also leaked runs as he failed to justify his huge price tag.
Tyron Henderson
Tyron Henderson was the biggest surprise in the Indian Premier League Season 2 when he was bought by then champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Rs. 4 crore, which was even greater than what they paid to their captain Shane Warne.
Considered to be a T20 specialist, Henderson held the record for the most wickets taken in Twenty20 cricket at that time. But, he played just two games, making 11 runs and taking one wicket.
Next season, he was released by the RR and didn't even make the shortlist for the auctions.
- South African players have grabbed eyeballs in the IPL
- Kagiso Rabada was one of the top buys for the Delhi Daredevils
- Kyle Abbott was bought by Kings XI Punjab for Rs.2.1 crore
