Stars and strugglers: SA players blow hot and cold in IPL

Only one player has really stood out for the South African contingent competing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but others have made some valuable contributions, while there have also been some disappointing performances.

We take a look at three of the best and worst SA players in the league phase of the campaign, ahead of the IPL playoffs which start on Tuesday.

Three stars

Faf du Plessis

Among the standout players in the tournament, Du Plessis has been superb with bat in hand.

The top run-scorer in the league phase, he bashed 730 runs in 14 matches, including eight half-centuries.

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The Royal Challengers Bangalore captain is the only player in the campaign thus far to make more than 700 runs, and he did so at an average of 56.15, helping his team to sixth place in the final standings. They were just three points outside a spot in the playoffs.

Heinrich Klaasen

Though it didn’t do enough to lift his Sunrisers Hyderabad team from the bottom of the log, Klaasen was useful with the bat, building on his fine form this year.

Hitting 448 runs in 12 innings, at a strike rate of 177.07, he finished the league phase as the 10th highest run-scorer.

His performances included a century against Royal Challengers Bangalore – the second T20 ton of his career – and he closed out his IPL campaign with an average of 49.77.

Marco Jansen

To be fair, Jansen did not exactly make a splash, but he was relatively valuable for Sunrisers Hyderabad throughout the series.

The all-rounder contributed only 39 runs in six innings with the bat, but he was consistent with the ball, taking 10 wickets in eight matches at an average of 26.70.

Three strugglers

Aiden Markram

One of SA’s best exports in terms of leadership, Markram struggled to carry his team as they were handed the wooden spoon, finishing last of the 10 teams on the log.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad captain made 248 runs in 13 matches, with just one half-century, and he finished with an average of 22.54.

He did, however, take 11 catches in the field, where the skipper made a valuable contribution.

Rilee Rossouw

Though he flaunted flashes of his potential power, Rorrouw struggled to get going for the Delhi Capitals.

He contributed 209 runs in nine games, and while he did make a high score of 82 not out against the Punjab Kings, he was also removed twice for ducks, and he ended his series with an average of 29.85.

Kagiso Rabada

One of the country’s most experienced players, Rabada failed to hit his straps for the Punjab Kings.

The fast bowler took seven wickets in the six matches he played, at an average of 33.14 and an economy rate of 10.08, with unimpressive best figures of 2/34.