IPL 2025 flop XI: Rs 27 crore Rishabh Pant and Rs 23.75 crore Venkatesh Iyer lead the way

We’re now into the business end of IPL 2025, with the playoff race heating up. While some players have lit up the tournament, a few big names have completely failed to justify their hefty price tags. Here's a look at the Flop XI of the season so far , a team of underperformers who simply didn’t deliver when it mattered most.
Openers: Rahul Tripathi and Rachin Ravindra (Both from CSK)
It’s quite telling that both openers in this list represent Chennai Super Kings.
Rahul Tripathi (3.4 crore): Played 5 matches, scored only 55 runs at an average of 11.00 and a strike rate of 96.49. His highest score? A mere 23.
Rachin Ravindra: Despite a decent start, Ravindra (8 matches) managed just 191 runs at 27.29, with a solitary fifty (65*). His strike rate of 128.19 was underwhelming for someone expected to set the tone at the top

Middle Order: Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Venkatesh Iyer
This trio of left-handers was expected to dominate but fell flat.
Ishan Kishan (11.25 crore): After a brilliant century in the opening game, he fizzled out completely — 196 runs in 11 innings at 24.50, strike rate 144.12.
Rishabh Pant (27 crore – most expensive player in IPL history): The pressure of the price tag showed. With just 128 runs in 11 matches at a shocking average of 12.80 and a strike rate below 100 (99.22), Pant's comeback was a massive letdown.

Venkatesh Iyer (23.75 crore): Despite a solitary fifty, he failed to make any consistent impact. 142 runs in 11 matches at 20.29 and strike rate of 139.22 didn’t justify the investment.
Quiz: Who's that IPL player?
Lower Order: Glenn Maxwell, Liam Livingstone, Deepak Hooda,
A mix of overseas stars and experienced Indian players, all failing to contribute meaningfully.
Glenn Maxwell (4.2 crore): Arguably the worst season of his IPL career. Just 48 runs in 7 innings at an average of 8.00 and a strike rate of 97.96. He also picked up 4 wickets at an economy of 8.46.
Liam Livingstone (8.75 crore): A shadow of his usual explosive self. Only 87 runs in 7 matches at 17.40 (SR 127.94) and just 2 wickets to show for his all-round abilities.
Deepak Hooda (1.7 crore): A complete non-factor this season — 31 runs in 6 matches at an average of 6.20 and a strike rate of 75.6
Bowlers: Ravichandran Ashwin, Tushar Deshpande, Mohammad Shami
R. Ashwin (9.75 crore): The much-hyped homecoming didn’t go as planned. Just 5 wickets in 10 games at an average of 44.60 and a poor economy of 9.29.
Tushar Deshpande (6.5 crore): Struggled with consistency and control — 6 wickets at an average of 45.00 and a staggering economy of 11.25.
Mohammad Shami (10 crore): A surprising underperformer. Just 6 wickets in the tournament with an average of 56.17 and an economy rate of 11.23.