IPL 2018: 3 Players who are likely to be released by Delhi Daredevils

Delhi Daredevils have had a few disappointing time in the last few seasons of the Indian Premier League. However, they went for a complete overhaul of the squad this time bringing in Gautam Gambhir to lead the team with some very talented young players such as - Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer among others. Better things were expected from them this year.

Things, however, did not go to plan as they succumbed to five losses in their first six matches. Their form picked up a bit in the second half of the league stage with Pant, Iyer and Prithvi Shaw leading the charge for them. They would be looking to put up a better show in 2019 and for that, they need to let go of some non-performers this season.

So who are the players that are likely to be dropped by the Delhi management for IPL 2019? Let us have a look

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#3 Junior Dala

Junior Dala did not get many opportunities in the IPL.

Junior Dala burst onto the scene in the T20 series against India in 2018. In the 3 matches that he played, he picked up 7 wickets and put himself into the reckoning for an IPL contract. Although he went unsold in the auction, he was snapped up by Delhi as a replacement for Chris Morris.

Opportunities came hard to come by for Dala in the IPL. With Trent Boult establishing himself as the premier fast bowler for the team Dala was left to play second fiddle. He played a solitary match for Delhi against Bangalore where he went wicketless.

With Chris Morris likely to come back for the 2019 edition, it is unlikely that Dala would be retained by the Delhi franchise.

#2 Liam Plunkett

Plunkett had a disappointing IPL 2018

Liam Plunkett had a wonderful 2017 as he finished the year with 36 wickets in just 18 matches in limited overs internationals. Naturally, expectations were sky high for him when he was roped in as a replacement for the injured Kagiso Rabada by the Delhi Daredevils.

He made an impressive start in the IPL as he finished with figures of 3/17 in 4 overs in his first match against King XI Punjab. However, that proved to be a false dawn as his performance dipped alarmingly in the upcoming matches. He could only pick up a solitary wicket in his next six matches to finish with 4 wickets from 7 matches at an economy rate of over 9.

With such a disappointing outing in his debut season, he is unlikely to be retained by the Delhi franchise next season.

#1 Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir endured a torrid time in IPL 2018.

Gautam Gambhir had publicly expressed his desire to return back to his home - Delhi and he was promptly snapped up by the Delhi franchise for 2.8 crore in the 2018 mega-auction. He was expected to turn around Delhi's fortunes after a disappointing few seasons in the IPL.

Things, however, did not turn out to be as expected for Gambhir. He had a disappointing time with the bat as he could only make 85 runs in the 6 innings that he played at a strike rate of 97 - quite slow by T20 standards. He even stepped down from the captaincy after the sixth game in order to allow the younger players to step up.

With a young core of batsmen taking charge for Delhi in the latter half of the tournament, it is unlikely that Gambhir will play any part as a player in IPL 2019. However, with his wealth of experience, he might be roped in as a mentor who can guide the young guns of Delhi next season.