5 players who might be dropped by Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2019

Delhi Daredevils had yet another disastrous IPL season, finishing at the bottom of the points table. While they did improve towards the back end of the tournament - winning their last two games - there were a lot of concerns for most of the campaign.

Most of their big name players simply did not step up and it was Rishab Pant's heroics that prevented them from being truly embarrassed in the competition.

They will look to address these issues ahead of the next season and get rid of some of the underperforming players.

Here is a list of five players Delhi Daredevils might drop for IPL 2019:

#5 Gautam Gambhir

Not many captains would have had the guts to step down from captaincy but that is exactly what Gautam Gambhir did following Delhi's disastrous start to the season.

Gambhir was supposed to be the one to lead Delhi to their maiden IPL title, but things did not pan out that way. The southpaw not only struggled with the armband, but with his batting as well as he managed just 85 runs in six games at a horrendous strike rate of 96.5.

With Shreyas Iyer captaining the side for the remainder of the season and doing fairly decently, he will be expected to lead them next season as well, meaning Gambhir will be surplus to requirements and could be dropped.

#4 Liam Plunkett

The England pacer was roped in by Delhi as a replacement for the injured Kagiso Rabada and he started off on a promising note, picking up 3/17 in his first game.

However, his form soon deteriorated and he managed just 1 more wicket in the remainder of the competition, finishing with 4 from 7 matches.

Delhi truly felt Rabada's absence and if he returns next season, it would mean Plunkett would have to be released

#3 Dan Christian

It was quite surprising that Dan Christian fetched a bid of INR 1.5 crore at the auction considering he is well past his prime and not a great player of spin, a skill that is necessary in Indian conditions.

Christian flattered to deceive right from the start and played just 4 matches for the Delhi franchise, scoring 26 runs at a strike rate of 78.

He had a much better time with the ball, picking up 4 wickets but he was rather expensive as his economy rate of over 8 suggests.

Christian no longer has the ability to hit a long ball and that means his effectiveness as an allrounder is reduced, meaning Delhi are unlikely to stick with him next season.

#2 Junior Dala

Delhi were dealt a blow when they lost the services of Chris Morris through injury midway through the tournament. In Junior Dala, they thought they had the ideal replacement.

While Dala is not as handy with the bat as Morris, he is renowned in South African domestic circles as a death bowling specialist, capable of delivering toe-crushing yorkers at pace.

Dala had also impressed in the T20I series against India earlier in the year, but a disastrous IPL debut meant he was overlooked after just one game.

Dala played just one game and conceded 34 runs from 3 overs without picking up a single wicket. With Morris likely to return next season, Dala will indeed be released.

#1 Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami was bought back by the Delhi Daredevils during the auctions using the RTM card for INR 3 crore but he failed to live up to that price tag.

Embroiled in controversy before the start of the season, Shami struggled for any kind of form or rhythm.

In 4 matches, he picked up just 3 wickets, conceding runs at over 10 per over, which was a major reason why Delhi struggled to win matches at the start.

Shami has never really been a great limited-overs bowler so it was surprising that Delhi did buy him back, but they are unlikely to persist with him for the next season.