These 10 players might not feature in IPL 2018

Bengaluru, May 17: The 10th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) has reached its business end as only three matches are left in the IPL 2017.

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With the completion of the 10th season, according to the rules, the franchises will have to release all their players and a fresh auction will be conducted.

In all these 10 seasons, several players have come and gone. While some have faded into oblivion some players became the darling of the fans.

But with time a huge chunk of these players have aged and with time their performances have also deteriorated.

Some notable cricketers like Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, Zaheer Khan, Shane Watson who were talismans for their respective sides during these 10 years have practically nothing to offer.

The tenth season came as a reality check for fans as the crowd favourite maestros of the game failed to leave a mark.

Chris Gayle, the six machine of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had a season to forget. This was possibly his worst ever season since his KKR days.

As IPL 2017 is nearing the end, we have decided to make a list of players who might not play in the next edition of the tournament.

Here is the list of 10 players

Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle is arguably the greatest player in the history of the tournament. A brilliant entertainer and hard-hitter of the ball was till last season RCB's biggest name. Unfortunately, age has taken a toll on his performance and West Indian has lost his form for good. He had scored 200 runs in 9 matches this year. This drop in form may force Gayle to leave IPL.

Brendon McCullum

Brendon 'Bazz' McCullum set the IPL on fire from the very first match by hitting a 158 for KKR against RCB. Throughout the 10 years he has played for several teams but always remained the crowd's, darling. McCullum will turn 36 next season and going by his current performance he may not get picked by any team next season.

Ashish Nehra

The veteran Indian fast bowler will likely retire from cricket after this season, considering he will turn 39 next year. Of late Nehra is suffering from series of injuries which clearly indicates that this was his last IPL.

Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh's absence from IPL will possibly the saddest thing for the Indian fans. The 35-year-old has been dropped from the Mumbai Indians starting XI several times clearly indicating that veteran offspinner's time is up.

Shane Watson (left)

Shane Watson is one of the finest all-rounders to have graced the IPL. In 102 matches he has played in the last 10 seasons, Watson has scored 2622 runs and has taken 86 wickets. His recent form for RCB though clearly suggested that his time is up.

Imran Tahir

The South African spin bowler is one of the best performers for Rising Pune Supergiant this season. He has taken 18 wickets so far in the IPL. But the South African international is 38-year-old and may decide retire after this year.

Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan is arguably India's greatest ever fast bowler. The left-handed talisman has been a thorough entertainer for both India and IPL teams. The fast bowler is 38 currently and it is highly unlikely that he will feature in IPL again.

Dwayne Smith

The West Indian opening batsman has always been a very handy player for whichever team he has played. His performance though deteriorated this season as he could hardly contribute to Gujarat Lions. His drop in form may force to move out of IPL next season.

Mitchell Johnson

Mitchell Johnson was hardly picked by Mumbai Indians this season in their starting XI indicating that his IPL career is all but over. Johnson has played 46 IPL matches taking 54 wickets.

Pravin Tambe (left)

45-year-old Pravin Tambe is possibly the oldest active cricketer in the world at the moment. Tambe has never played for the national side but has played quite a few memorable matches in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals. He was picked up by Gujarat Lions this season but he did not feature in a single match. Tambe will possibly quit cricket after this season.

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