IPL 2018: 5 unsold stars who can return as coach in future

Indian Premier League, which is seen as a mere source of entertainment, has a rich history of finding young talents. The domestic players get an opportunity to interact with the international players and world-class coaches.

Apart from giving an opportunity to budding players, IPL has also been a stage for retired cricketers to start their coaching career. There have been many instances of players mentoring the IPL teams after they retired from cricket. VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Daniel Vettori are a few of them.

Though many international cricketers could not find a bidder in the auction this year, here are a few of them who are closing on their retirement and thus may consider coaching the IPL teams in future seasons.

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#5 Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn, one of the world's best bowlers, is nearing his retirement and it looks like his IPL career is all but over. Steyn was out of the cricketing arena for close to a year and returned back to internationals against India recently only to be injured again.

Steyn, who missed the 2017 season of the league and managed to play just one match in the 2016 season, could not find any bidders in the auction mainly due to his injury concerns.

One of the most feared bowlers in the world, Steyn has taken 92 wickets in the IPL in 90 matches. In T20 internationals, he has clinched 58 wickets in 42 matches.

With enough experience as a bowler, Steyn can be an excellent coach in future.

#4 Munaf Patel

Munaf Patel, who was part of India's World Cup winning team in 2011, played a prominent role in India reaching the finals of the tournament. Patel's international career was then overshadowed due to the emergence of other fast bowlers.

According to the latest reports, Munaf Patel currently resides in his hometown Ikhar, Gujarat and is out of professional cricket for close to a year.

Patel who had set his base price at Rs. 50 lakh went unsold in the auction and this may be a signal to the end of his career. In the IPL, he has taken 74 wickets from 63 matches at an economy rate of 7.51.

#3 Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan was one of India's most successful all-rounders who worked wonders in International cricket. At his peak, the seam bowling all-rounder was even being compared to Kapil Dev but constant injuries drew the curtains on his international career.

Pathan has played 24 T20s for India, taking 28 wickets at an economy rate of 8.02. One of his most memorable T20 performances came in the final of the 2007 World T20 where he clinched three wickets which won him the Man of the Match award.

In the IPL, Pathan was one of the most sought-after options in the auction during the early years but has been ignored lately. He went unsold in the 2017 IPL auction but found his way back as an injury replacement and managed to get just one game in which he went wicket-less.

In this year's auction, Pathan couldn't find any bidders and remained unsold.

In the IPL, Pathan has taken 80 wickets in 103 games and has scored 1139 runs. With enough of experience under his belt, he is an excellent candidate for taking up the coaching job.

#2 Praveen Kumar

Praveen Kumar currently plays for Uttar Pradesh in the domestic circuit. He became a regular in the Indian side after delivering match-winning performances in the Commonwealth series that took place Australia in 2008.

He was part of India team for the World Cup 2011 but was replaced by Sreesanth owing to an injury. Kumar's international career was cut short soon but he kept on shining in the domestics.

His performance in the IPL is quite average, he has 90 wickets in 119 matches. His overall economy of 7.72 is quite impressive as well.

Base priced at Rs. 50 lakh, he remained unsold in the auction and this signals the end of the road for him in the IPL.

#1 Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga does not need an introduction when it comes to Indian Premier League. The Sri Lankan legend, who played for Mumbai Indians for the past 10 years, unfortunately, remained unsold in the auction this year. His decline in form in the past couple of years has been the biggest reason that no franchise bid for him.

Malinga was considered to be one of the most lethal bowlers in the world due to his pace mixed with slinging action which troubled even the best batsmen in the world. He has taken close to 500 wickets in international cricket and carries tons of experience.

In the IPL, Malinga has taken 154 wickets playing in 110 matches at an impressive economy rate of 6.86. In T20 internationals, he has taken 90 wickets in 68 matches which puts him second on the list of the all-time highest wicket-takers in T20 Internationals.

Malinga whose IPL career is all but over may look to coach the team he has been associated for 10 long years.