The IPL has been home to some of the greatest T20 stars worldwide. We’ve seen Australian legends like David Warner, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, and Adam Gilchrist shape the tournament over the years. Mumbai Indians signed all-rounder Cameron Green for a whopping ₹17.5 crores at the IPL 2023 auction. Unfortunately, Green hasn’t had the best of starts this season. He failed to make an impact with the bat, scoring just 17 runs in two innings while batting at No.3, while his bowling also was poor, managing to pick only one wicket in five overs at the cost of 50 runs. The data shows that his overall career T20 stats aren’t too encouraging, either.
Let’s look at 3 other Australian players who performed poorly in their maiden year in the IPL:
1) David Warner
David Warner is undoubtedly one of the most renowned Australian players in IPL history. He has scored over 6000 runs, becoming the only overseas player to reach this milestone. His impressive record of consistent high-scoring and high strike rate have contributed significantly to his success. He even led Sunrisers Hyderabad to the IPL title in 2016.
However, Warner had an underwhelming debut season for the Delhi Capitals in 2009, scoring only 163 runs in seven innings, with a low average of 23.29 and a striking rate of 123.48. His only shining memory from the season was his single half-century.
2) Daniel Christian
Daniel Christian is one of the most experienced Australian T20 player. He has had a successful individual career, having won several trophies and led different teams to victory. However, his batting record in the Indian Premier League was rather underwhelming. Despite his contributions with the ball in his first season with the Deccan Chargers, he only scored 190 runs in 13 innings at an average of 17.27 and a strike rate of 119.50. As a finisher, he could not achieve great success in the IPL.
3) Shaun Tait
Shaun Tait was one of the fastest Australian bowlers in cricket history, but his career was plagued with injuries, and he could not play as many international or IPL matches as some other players. During the 2010 season, he took 10 wickets in 8 matches playing for RR but had a high economy rate at 8.47. His bowling was hugely inconsistent – sometimes, he would be unbeatable and take a lot of wickets, but other times he would go for 40 runs or more in his four overs. Despite this, Tait still had a good season but could not show the full extent of his capabilities.
