Dubai: Many global stars have dazzled cricket lovers over the course of the 2015 Indian Premier League, while newcomers have risen to prominence by exceeding expectations, but there have also been those who did not live up to the hype and under-performed.

Here Gulf News looks at the success stories and let-downs from this year’s IPL.

Hits

Shreyas Iyer

Delhi Daredevils’ decision to pay 26 million rupees (Dh1.5m) for a 20-year-old who had only played one domestic season left many people puzzled. Iyer proved the doubters wrong by becoming Delhi’s leading run-getter for the tournament with 419 in 13 innings, scoring four half-centuries. Iyer looked comfortable against world-class bowlers such as Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh, while his notable performances included a belligerent 70 not out in a successful chase against the Chennai Super Kings and an aggressive 83 to set up Delhi’s victory against the Mumbai Indians.

Ajinkya Rahane

Rajasthan’s Rahane demonstrates that power hitting is not necessarily required to be a successful Twenty20 batsman. By relying on his impeccable timing, water-tight technique and good cricketing shots, Rahane amassed 498 runs in 12 regular season innings, crossing 50 on four occasions. Rahane’s batting average of 49 shows the consistency and solid foundations he brought to the Royals’ top order.

Mitchell Starc

Perhaps the best opening bowler of the tournament, the Aussie pacer has emerged as one of the world’s leading limited over bowlers over the past year and proved his credentials in this IPL. Starc took 18 wickets in his nine regular season games at a striking average of 11.50, while his economy rate of 6.67 is remarkable given the scoring rate in Bangalore. Being able to consistently bowl yorkers in the death overs made him a prized asset in a Royal Challengers Bangalore team that is usually known for their batting.

Ashish Nehra

Chennai’s Nehra seems to be back to the Nehra of old this tournament. Swinging the new ball both ways, particularly back in to the right-handers, made the experienced campaigner a mainstay of the Super Kings’ bowling line-up. The left-arm pacer picked up 18 wickets in 13 regular season games at an average of under 20 and a tight economy rate of seven. His match-winning haul of four wickets for only 10 runs in four overs against Royal Challengers Bangalore showed that he hadn’t lost the qualities that made him successful on the international stage.

Yuzvendra Chahal

With Bangalore having a reputation of being a harsh and unforgiving venue for bowlers, one would not have high expectations for a relatively inexperienced spinner. Chahal, however, defied the odds and proved to be one of the best young performers of the tournament. The leg-spinner took 17 wickets from 11 games at an impressive average of 20, second behind only Mitchell Starc.

Honourable mentions

Andre Russell

Kolkata Knight Riders’ most consistent all-rounder, whether with his power-hitting abilities or pace bowling. Russell scored 327 runs in 11 innings at an average of 36 with three fifties. His stunning 51 off just 21 deliveries helped KKR pull off a narrow victory against table-topping Chennai Super Kings. The West Indian also finished the tournament as the team’s leading wicket-taker with 14 scalps to his name at an average of 23.

Sandeep Sharma

Sharma’s efforts will perhaps go unrecognised due to Kings XI Punjab’s overall performance in the tournament. The medium pacer took 13 wickets at a commendable economy rate of seven, an admirable effort given the fact they were mostly in losing causes. His individual brilliance of four for 25 against Kolkata Knight Riders could not prevent defeat for the team that finished at the bottom of the points table.

Misses

Yuvraj Singh

Delhi Daredevils broke the bank by splurging 160 million rupees on the man who has been out of the Indian national team ever since his disappointing performance in the ICC World Twenty20 final last year. Being the most expensive player at the IPL automatically put the pressure on Yuvraj to live up to his price tag. The Punjab batsman crossed 50 only twice in 12 innings and averaged just under 20, proving to be a small return on the big investment.

Dinesh Karthik

Royal Challengers Bangalore bought the former India wicketkeeper batsman for 105 million rupees, making him the second most expensive purchase in the 2015 auction. The Tamil Nadu batsman seemed to have hit a purple patch as he was coming off the back of an impressive domestic season. However, the wave of momentum did not carry through into the tournament as he failed to reach 30 in his nine regular season innings and averaged only 11.66.

Mitchell Johnson

The fearsome left-arm pacer seemed to lose his sting at this year’s IPL and was eventually dropped from the Kings XI Punjab playing XI. In his nine matches, Johnson could only take nine wickets at an expensive economy rate of 9.37 and an uninspiring bowling average of 37.33. This resulted in the Aussie being relegated to the bench for the latter stages of the tournament.

James Faulkner

The Australian has the reputation of being a limited-overs specialist, with his all-round skills being perfectly suited to the shorter formats of the game. However, this season saw the Rajasthan Royals player underperform with both bat and ball. Faulkner picked up only eight wickets in 12 regular season matches at an underwhelming average of 48 and he conceded more than nine runs an over. In 10 innings, he could only manage 140 runs at an average of 20.

R. Vinay Kumar

The Karnataka stalwart, who is consistently one of the leading wicket-takers in domestic cricket, cannot seem to crack to code for the next level. His 10 outings for the Mumbai Indians saw a poor return of only four wickets at astonishing average of 70 and an economy rate of 8.4. The medium-pacer lacked potency in his bowling and proved to be easy pickings for batsmen.

Dishonourable mentions

K.C. Cariappa

Kolkata Knight Riders raised many eyebrows when they joined Delhi Daredevils in a bidding war for a player who many people had not even heard of. Cariappa was purchased by the franchise for 24 million rupees even though he has not played a First Class game. Many were excited about the prospect, touted as a mystery spinner, but Cariappa’s debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore, his only game of the tournament, was one that he will want to quickly forget. Chris Gayle took a particular liking to the rookie as he was hit for 28 from his 2 overs.

Praveen Kumar

Sunrisers Hyderabad paid 22 million rupees for medium-pacer Praveen, who endured an unsatisfactory campaign. He could only manage seven wickets in his 11 games at an average of 45 and an economy rate of more than nine runs per over. The bowler has struggled with form as well as injuries and his performance this IPL won’t help his chances of a possible India comeback.