IPL 2018: 5 big players who are unlikely to be retained 

The 11th edition of the IPL is more than five months away but the audition process for the players is already in full flow. With the rules and regulations regarding player retention and right to match ahead of the IPL Auction 2018 finalised, it is pretty clear that the teams will have their priorities in place.

Each team will have the option of retaining three players plus two players who can be bought back using the right to match option. The returning Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals will also have their pick when it comes to player retention ahead of the Auction.

But certain circumstances meant that some of the best T20 players are unlikely to be retained by their respective teams. While some will be picked during the Auction, the others are likely to face a nervous wait to see if they are picked are not.

Here are 5 big players who are unlikely to be retained:

Chris Gayle

The all-time leading run-getter in T20s has nearly 3,500 runs for the Royal Challengers Bangalore but his performances in the last couple of season have taken a turn for the worse. For RCB, the 38-year-old opener averages over 43 and has a strike rate in excess of 150 but in the last two editions of the IPL he averages just 22 and has a strike rate of 136.

With only three players available to be retained, his diminishing numbers and the fact that he is 38 means that he is unlikely to be part of RCB's retention plans. Especially when they have the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Yuzvendra Chahal, who have been incredibly consistent and the likes of KL Rahul, Samuel Badree and co.

While his chances of being retained remain slim, Gayle is certain to be picked in the auction.

Lasith Malinga

Malinga has played for Mumbai Indians throughout his IPL career

The only bowler to take more than 150 IPL wickets. The leading wicket-taker for a single team in the tournament's history and the second-highest wicket-taker in T20s. These are just some of the numbers behind Lasith Malinga's hugely successful association with Mumbai Indians that has yielded the side four IPL titles, the most for any team.

While Malinga isn't what he used to be in his prime, he has shown that he can still be effective. But the problem for the Sri Lankan pacer is the plethora of options that the reigning IPL champions have when it comes to player retention. While captain Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are three who are certain to be retained, MI also have plenty of other options as well.

They have Krunal Pandya and Kieron Pollard, who both provide all-round options unlike Malinga and that is even before mentioning the likes of Jos Buttler, who might be an incredibly expensive buy in the auction if he is not retained.

Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan has won two IPL titles with KKR

Ever since he moved from Rajasthan Royals to Kolkata Knight Riders, Yusuf Pathan has been an integral part of the KKR set-up. He has won two IPL titles with the side and despite his absence from the Indian limited-overs sides, he has continued to be in the starting XI for KKR.

That is likely to change in IPL 2018 when KKR have to choose the three players that they will retain. Sunil Narine and captain Gautam Gambhir are two names who will be at the top of the list for KKR but they also have Indian limited-overs stars Manish Pandey and Kuldeep Yadav to consider.

That is even before mentioning the overseas stars, who have flourished for them, in Shakib Al Hasan, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Chris Lynn. Considering the incredible array of options, it looks like Yusuf will not be among the ones retained, especially when you consider the other options who provide a lot more value for money.

Hashim Amla

Hashim Amla has made a career out of proving people wrong and making a mockery of stereotypes. However, despite his impressive performances for Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2017, the South African batsman is unlikely to among the players retained by Kings XI Punjab.

Despite the fact that Amla is the highest ranked South African T20I batsman ahead of the likes of Faf du Plessis, David Miller and AB de Villiers, he won't be among the players retained by KXIP, simply because of the amount that they will have to use up to retain him.

Depending on whether Kings XI decide to retain either one, two or three players, they will have to pay a minimum or INR 7 crore to retain Amla. When you consider the fact that he could be bought for a lesser amount at the Auction, it doesn't make much sense to retain him, especially when they have the likes of Glenn Maxwell, David Miller and Murali Vijay.

Yuvraj Singh

While Yuvraj Singh might have been among the most expensive players in the history of the IPL, he is unlikely to be top of the list of players who SRH will want to retain. The incredible form of David Warner and Bhuvneshwar Kumar both for their country and for the franchise means that they will be two among the three who they will retain.

The other slot is likely to go Shikhar Dhawan, who has also been in sensational form. Unfortunately for Yuvraj Singh, age isn't on his side and his chances of being retained appear slim especially when SRH have so many other options to choose from.

The likes of Kane Williamson, Moises Henriques and Siddarth Kaul have been consistent for them and even the likes of Rashid Khan, who is expected to go for a lot of money might make for a better option than an ageing superstar, whose light merely flickers.