5 players who could be playing their last CPL

This year's Caribbean Premier League promises plenty of action and entertainment as it features several top quality players. The tournament includes plenty of young talent which is eager to make its presence felt, and at the same time has numerous veterans who might be playing their last CPL tournament.

Some veteran cricketers have been plagued by injury issues while some have lost their mojo. Their chances of appearing in next year's CPL are slim and this may be the last time we are seeing them in this T20 league.

Here are the top five cricketers for whom the 2017 CPL could be their last:

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Brad Hogg

Age is only a number, especially to Brad Hogg, who is featuring in this edition's CPL as its oldest player. At 46 years of age, Hogg is well-ahead of the traditional age of retirement in cricket, but the chinaman bowler is not too concerned about it.

After bidding adieu to Test cricket in 2008, the Australian spinner focused his attention on the T20 format and for the last decade has been traveling across the world to bowl spin in T20 leagues. He was effective and economical with his spin bowling but since the last one year, the wheels have started to come off.

The fact that he went unsold in the 2017 IPL auction indicates how things stand for Hogg at the moment. In CPL, he is representing Trinbago Knight Riders who already have three quality spinners in the form of Sunil Narine, Nikita Miller, and Shadab Khan. Hence, he might struggle to even find a place in the playing XI.

The spinner's only chance of extending his T20 career is to deliver some magical performances in this year's CPL, but with three spinners already in the team, the probability of he getting a match and eventually extending his career is slim.

Jesse Ryder

Fans will hope Ryder fires for the St Lucia Stars this season

One of the most talented cricketers from New Zealand, Jesse Ryder has remained in the news in the last one decade for the wrong reasons. His inconsistency overshadows his batting skills which are capable of demolishing any bowling unit.

He was roped into this year's CPL by St. Lucia Stars as the replacement for the injured David Miller. Ryder played his last match in March 2017 representing Central District and smashed 109 in that game.

But anyone who has seen Ryder bat knows that stats don't matter to him and nothing can be predicted about his batting. He is sure to get a longer stint at St Lucia Stars, who do not really have any other overseas specialist batsman in their squad.

But will the New Zealand batsman make his chances count?A mediocre performance in this edition could well close the doors for next year's CPL for Ryder and hence he must fire in this season.

Rayad Emrit

Emrit is talented but has not found his stride in T20 cricket

Rayad Emrit has all the ingredients to become an ideal T-20 player. He bowls medium-pace with subtle variations that deny the batsmen any opportunity to free their arms and also has the capacity to hit lusty blows that make him an effective middle-order batsman.

However, somehow he hasn't been able to find his mojo in the shortest format of the game. His bowling often lacks the sharpness and in batting, he either comes in too late to make a significant impact or throws his wicket while playing an ambitious stroke.

Earlier this year, he featured in the Hong Kong Twenty20 Blitz and scored 15 runs in three innings along with claiming seven wickets in five innings. The 36-year-old is entering the CPL with very few runs and wickets behind him and hence is already under the radar.

The emergence of other young all-rounders has pushed Emrit to the corner and he is representing the Amazon Guyana Warriors in this year's CPL with his career on the line.

Mohammad Sami

Sami is talented but injury-prone

The fourth-highest wicket taker in this year's PSL, Mohammad Sami picked 12 wickets in 9 games and bowled economically. Hence he looks in fine rhythm and could well play a huge role in Jamaica Tallawahs' CPL campaign this year.

But the Pakistani pace bowler is known for his frequent injuries and with age not on his side, he may be featuring in his last CPL. He is 36-year-old and is playing with a body that is injury prone.

Even if he performs brilliantly in this year's edition, his CPL future looks grim because of his injuries.

Kumar Sangakkara

Sangakkara is batting well and now on the cusp of 40 will want to continue

The Sri Lankan cricketer took his retirement from Test cricket in 2015 but is still enjoying an excellent batting form. He amassed more than a thousand runs in this year's county season and was the second highest run scorer for Karachi Kings in this year's PSL.

But he is 39-years-old now and hence could be heading towards the end of his cricketing career. Nothing can be said about his future in CPL as nobody knows how long Sangakkara wishes to extend his batting career.

Most probably this is his last appearance in the Caribbean Premier League because franchises in CPL select only five overseas players in their squad and hence they choose players who are likely to stay fit till the end of the tournament and are in good form.

Sangakkara's appearance in next year's CPL depends on whether he is able to stay physically fit and is capable of scoring runs at an incredible rate.