5 Indian players who might be playing their last IPL

The Indian Premier League has given us a number of memories to live with, the best have been of our favourite players turning out for the franchises and rewinding the clock. While the number of retired cricketers playing in the league is coming down with each passing year, there are still a few player who are past their prime but are still trying to save their careers by playing in the IPL.

These are five players who could be playing their last IPL:

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#5 Vinay Kumar

The fast bowler, one of the biggest names in Karnataka domestic cricket currently, has not been able to translate the same form for the Indian team. His form in the IPL, over the last few years, has been very erratic: his expensive spells have added to his problems.

This year, he got two games with the Kolkata Knight Riders, and has an economy of 16.95. He was the target of trolls after conceding 17 runs against the Chennai Super Kings in the last over of the game.

It is unlikely that the medium pacer, who will be 35 by next year, will get a team in the IPL.

#4 Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan

Once part of India's middle-order, the World Cup winner is nowhere close to getting selected to the Indian team now. He is not the same explosive batsman that could set the ground on fire.

Playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad this season, he has been good only in patches, failing to hit big sixes like he used to in his prime. The toll of not playing enough domestic games regularly seems to have not helped him. His off-spin, once a handy option for the captain, has also vanished away somewhere.

With his brother Irfan Pathan having gone unsold this year, it could be the turn of the 35-year-old elder brother next year.

#3 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh

There are no doubts that Harbhajan Singh, in spite of playing the IPL towards the latter part of his career, has been one of the most successful off-spinner of the tournament. Over the last few years, his role has not been to contain the batsmen's run of flow in the first few overs.

He was part of the Mumbai Indians from 2008 to 2017 after which he was purchased by the Chennai Super Kings for the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League.

The 37-year-old has been doing decently well for the men in yellow, but his days in the IPL could be numbered, more so because he is a liability on the field and can be expensive when not in rhythm.

#2 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh

A hero for an entire generation of cricketers and one of the greatest strikers of the ball in Indian cricket's history, Yuvraj Singh has left a legacy but the time might have come that he moves on. He has been in really poor form in the IPL this year in spite of the fact that he was taken by his previous franchise the Kings XI Punjab this year.

In four innings he has scored 46 runs and was dropped at the expense of Manoj Tiwary in the previous game. Once one of the best fielders in the Indian team, his standards have dropped and he is prone to making a lot of mistakes in the field. He doesn't contribute with his bowling as well.

He is 36 years old now and could do with a farewell at his home franchise this season. With his recent decline, he might not find any takers next year.

#1 Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir

It has been a sudden decline for Gautam Gambhir. Until last year he was the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders and had even made his way into the Indian team although only for a short period of time. With much hype, he returned to the Delhi Daredevils this season but could not get the same form going for his home franchise.

The Delhi Daredevils are currently at the bottom of the points table and one of the major reasons has been Gambhir's form. With only one fifty in six games, Gambhir decided to step down as captain, giving Shreyas Iyer the responsibility and even dropping out of the playing eleven.

The way the current situation has developed, it is unlikely that Gambhir will play the IPL again next year.