The one Australian player who disappointed his fans with his performances in the Indian Premier League 2014, it was the left arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson. He was considered as one of the most intimidating bowlers in the tournament as he had blown away England in the Ashes series just months ago. He was supposed to have a lot of success against the Indian batsmen who are not so good against the short, rising deliveries, but, it wasn’t to be.
Johnson looked off colour for a big part of the tournament and he was even left out of the playing XI of his team Kings XI Punjab for a few preliminary round matches. He was brought back for the play off matches and he looked a bit better, but, he was still not at his best.
Johnson bowled well in the final against the Kolkata Knight Riders though. He got the wicket of the highest run scorer of the tournament Robin Uthappa in his very first over and then, bowled a tight over in the middle phase of the KKR innings as well, but, in his last over, he did a mistake which perhaps cost his team the game and the title.
Johnson had bowled 5 fantastic deliveries in that over and had given away only 2 runs to bring the match slightly into the grasp of Punjab. He needed to bowl another full delivery in the block hole to end that over well, but, he went for his favourite short pitched delivery instead and the batsman Piyush Chawla hooked it way over the square leg boundary for a huge six to kill the game then and there.
Thereafter, just five runs were required in the last over which was hard to defend for somebody like Parvinder Awana. Chawla scored a boundary off him and finished off the game to give KKR the title.