IPL 2018: 5 veteran players who need to prove themselves this year

Over the years the Indian Premier League has witnessed a lot of players turning into bright prospects and a lot of veterans turning pale. Every year youngsters get opportunities which can help them to transform their career and take it to a new high as the IPL is considered as the sweet shortcut to success.

The IPL has helped to shape up the careers of many renowned players such as Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.

In the first decade of the league, a lot of experienced cricketers participated and made a better name for themselves. Veterans such as Chris Gayle made a reputation of being hard hitters who could be crucial to any team's chances in the shorter format albeit the Gayle storm is fading away slowly and steadily.

There are many other veteran cricketers who are fading away with their increasing age and decreasing fitness. They will have a point to prove in this edition of the IPL.

On this note, let us take a look at five veteran players who have to prove themselves in this edition of the tournament.

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#5 Harbhajan Singh (Chennai Super Kings)

Harbhajan Singh is one cricketer who has played for only one IPL franchise till date. He was procured by the Mumbai Indians in the first season and has featured in 136 matches for them across the ten seasons of the league.

He has been one of the most committed cricketers to have taken the field for the Indian side. His heroics in the 2001 Eden Gardens Test are still etched in the memory of every Indian fan.

The off-spinner has scalped 127 wickets with an economy rate of 6.95. He has made useful contributions with the bat as well, his highest score of 64* came when the Mumbai Indians were in jeopardy against the Kings XI Punjab.

He has picked up only 17 wickets in 25 games in the last two editions whereas he took 18 wickets in 15 games in the 2015 edition. His wicket-taking ability is slowly fading away but the turning pitches in Chennai may help the off-spinner to get back into the groove.

#4 Shane Watson (Chennai Super Kings)

Catch it Watto!

Shane Watson is unarguably one of the best all-rounders to have played for Australia. Since retiring from international cricket the Aussie all-rounder has participated in various T20 leagues around the world.

In the seventh edition of the Big Bash League (BBL) he led the Sydney Thunder who could not create a lasting impact on the tournament. In the first decade, his exploits have been useful for his franchises as he was handy with both bat and ball.

He has scored 2622 runs at an average of 31.21 alongside a healthy strike rate of 138.65. With 86 wickets in 102 matches, Watto proves to be the perfect all-rounder that is required in the shorter version of the game.

In the previous two editions, he has scored only 250 runs in 24 innings with a poor average. He can make the perfect comeback with MS Dhoni as a leader who motivates his players with utmost perfection. The veteran Aussie all-rounder will look to prove his all-round abilities in this edition of the tournament.

#3 Yuvraj Singh (Kings XI Punjab)

The King will be back to where he belongs!

Yuvraj Singh was India's most prominent T20 player on his day but a life-threatening disease gave a setback to his career. Yuvraj Singh's mixture of power and precision was benefitting him in the best way till the 2011 ODI World Cup in which he won the Man of the Tournament award but destiny seemed to have other plans for the southpaw.

Since his return to cricket, he has not carried the same fear factor as expected. He has failed to induce a sense of fear in the opposition's mind with his fading batting abilities.

His batting average reduced drastically in the 2015 season where he averaged a mere 19.07 with the willow in hand. He was comparatively better in the next two editions but the fearless Yuvraj Singh was still a major missing.

He averaged 26.22 and 28 in the 2016 and the 2017 season respectively. Earlier this year, he was procured by his home-based franchise the Kings XI Punjab.

He was sold at a nominal price in the auction due to his poor form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy which was conducted prior to the IPL auction. Yuvraj will look to bring out his original best when he takes the field for the Kings XI in this year's IPL.

#2 Gautam Gambhir (Delhi Daredevils)

Gautam Gambhir will lead the Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2018

After leading the Kolkata Knight Riders to glory in two IPL seasons the Delhi lad Gautam Gambhir has come back to his home-based franchise. Gambhir was handed over the reigns of KKR in the 2011 edition of IPL and since then he has led them to two titles in seven editions.

With increasing age, the burden on Gambhir's shoulders has also increased heavily. He will have to deal with a lot of expectations that the Delhi Daredevils fans have from him. His IPL statistics have been wonderful even in the last few years but his recent form in the Zonal T20 league was disappointing.

Gambhir has scored 4132 IPL runs at an average of 31.78 accompanied by a strike rate of 124.60. He will have to carry the responsibility of leading the side as the fans expect more out of Gambhir the captain than Gambhir the batsman.

With a heavily equipped batting lineup, Gambhir will have to manage his players carefully. The presence of Jason Roy and Colin Munro may force him to take the backseat and bat at number three for the Daredevils. The southpaw will look to sideline his recent form and start afresh.

#1 Chris Gayle (Kings XI Punjab)

Gayle's record of 175 in a single innings in the IPL still looks unbreakable

With more than 10,000 T20 runs Chris Gayle can be termed as the best ever T20 player. Despite this fact, the Carribean sensation almost missed out on an IPL contract when he did not attract any bids when his name was called for the first two times.

It was the final stages of the second day's auction where Gayle was procured by the Kings XI Punjab; he was the last player to be sold at the auction this year. Other franchises welcomed the move with a round of applause for the Universe Boss. His innings of 175* is still an unachievable feat in T20 cricket.

His IPL statistics are commendable as he has managed to score 3626 runs with an average of 41.20 along with a strike rate of 151.20. On his day, Gayle can tear apart any opposition in the world and with his ability to send the ball into the orbit he is regarded as the most dangerous batsman in T20 cricket.

The Jamaican suffered a dull phase in the previous two editions where he averaged only 22.22 and 22.70 with the bat. Gayle will look to revive his skills and present it to entertain the Kings XI fans in this edition of the IPL.