IPL 2018: 5 star performers from last season who were not retained

Ever since the list of retained players for this edition of the IPL was released on January 4, social media has been abuzz, discussing the decisions made by the respective teams. The eight teams that are participating in the 2018 edition retained a total of 18 highly-talented players, sending all the others into the auction pool.

While some retentions were obvious, there were a few big names who did not make it to the retention list. It was surprising to see the teams overlooking their star performers from last season.

Here are a few players who had a great season last year but were not retained by their respective teams.

#5 Hashim Amla

Hashim Amla was one of the biggest surprise packages of the last season. Often considered a master in ODIs and Tests, not many would have expected such a splendid performance from him in the T20 format. In the last edition, he scored 420 runs in just 10 matches.

His average of 60.00 was the highest among all the batsmen playing in the 2017 edition of the IPL. He also had two centuries to show for.

Kings XI Punjab's decision to retain only one player was one of the biggest surprises of the pre-auction retentions. The Punjab team chose to retain only Axar Patel on the back of his consistent performances with the ball and the bat.

#4 Mitchell McClenaghan

Mitchell McClenaghan

Mitchell McClenaghan has been one of the biggest assets for the Mumbai Indians ever since he was bought in 2015. He played a massive role in Mumbai Indians' successful 2015 and 2017 campaigns.

In the last season, he clinched 19 wickets in 14 matches, one fewer than his teammate Jasprit Bumrah. He ended up 4th on the list of highest wicket-takers in the season. His economy of 9.38 though may have been one of the biggest reasons for his non-retention. Mumbai Indians will definitely look to get him back using RTM.

#3 Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep Sharma has been a mainstay in King XI Punjab's side ever since 2014, the season in which they finished on top of the points table. Sharma first came into the limelight when he consistently delivered match-winning performances for Punjab in the 2014 edition of the league. He took 18 wickets from just 11 matches for his side that season.

In the 2017 season, he took 17 wickets from 13 matches at an economy rate of 8.29 and was Punjab's leading bowler. Taking into account his consistency in the previous seasons, KXIP must retain him using RTM at the auction.

#2 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan has been one of the key batsmen in Sunrisers Hyderabad's setup the psat few seasons. He consistently delivered with the bat last season, scoring 479 runs in 14 matches at an average of 36.84. Even though he ended third on the list of the highest run-scorers in the 2017 edition, the Hyderabad-based franchise overlooked his performances and chose not to retain him.

Sunrisers Hyderabad smartly retained two of their big players David Warner and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But, their decision to overlook Dhawan, even after seeing his form in limited-overs cricket in recent times, may prove to be a poor one. Dhawan will surely be hot property in the auction and SRH may find it difficult to use a Right to Match card for him.

#1 Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir has been one of the most successful players in the IPL, both as a batsman and as a captain. Kolkata Knight Riders not retaining him certainly raised eyebrows after the retention list was made public on January 4.

Last season, Gambhir scored 498 runs in 16 matches at an average of 41.50 and finished second on the list of the highest run-scorers, only behind David Warner. Gambhir led KKR to eight wins in the 14 matches they played in the group stages, helping them into the playoffs.

Gambhir has represented the Kolkata-based franchise since the 2011 edition. He has a tremendous track record playing for them, having scored 3035 runs in 138 matches. Moreover, he has captained the team to two titles, in 2012 and 2014.