5 institutions who may not remain with their teams in IPL 2018

The much awaited player retention policy for the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League was recently released. An incredible 10 years of IPL have just whizzed by, much like Brett Lee's deliveries. Under-19 world cup winning captain Virat Kohli is now team India's record breaking skipper, well on his way towards being an all-time great.

Players like Sanath Jayasuriya, VVS Laxman, Matthew Hayden, Shaun Pollock, Stephen Fleming, Herschelle Gibbs, and Glenn McGrath graced the inaugural season.

The change that IPL has brought to cricket has needless to say been monumental. A lot of talented players, who wouldn't have had the opportunity otherwise, have been discovered at the IPL. Men, women and children of all ages assemble in front of their television sets at 8 P.M. every night to watch their favourite franchisees battle it out.

Over the years, a number of superstars have established themselves in the IPL. Chris Gayle, who was unsold in the 2011 auction, was called upon by Royal Challengers Bangalore to replace injured Dirk Nannes.

The rest, as most of us know, is history. Another big West Indian, Kieron Pollard, made his mark at his auction where four franchisees emptied their entire salary purse in order to gain his services, resulting in a four-way tie. What followed was an unconventional silent bid, which was won by the Mumbai Indians.

They must be thanking their stars for that win, for the charismatic all-rounder has been instrumental in all of their three IPL title victories. This list of IPL miracles could go on. There have been a plethora of players who have made their mark, be it as one-season wonders (how many of us remember Paul Valthaty?), or as consistent players across multiple seasons.

Sport is a cruel world. No matter how exceptional you might have been in the past, there comes a day when your form dips, and you lose your spot to one among the ample competitors waiting for their opportunity. With a maximum of only five retentions allowed per franchisee, we could see some big superstars of the yesteryear not being retained. Let's take a look at some of these big superstars who could be a part of the auction in 2018:

#1 Lasith Malinga

Enter caption

Three things distinctly define the Sri Lankan fast bowler - his conspicuous mop of hair, the perpetual smile on his face, and his toe-crushing yorkers. Lasith Malinga has made his name known in every household in India with his devastating performances for the Mumbai Indians. His pinpoint perfect yorkers in the death overs have been a menace to every batsman he has bowled to. He is IPL's undisputed highest wicket-taker with 154 wickets, and it's incredible how he's got a major chunk of these wickets by getting the batsman out clean bowled. His amiable nature was a joy to watch, particularly his smile after being hit for a boundary.

Sadly, it looks like Malinga's time has come. Defending champions Mumbai Indians have top notch quality in their ranks with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya and Jos Buttler, and finding a spot in Mumbai Indians' 5 retained players seems unlikely for Malinga.

The 34-year-old does not have age on his side, and has been overshadowed in the recent seasons by his counterpart Mitchell McCleneghan. If he isn't retained, it will be heartbreaking to not see the smiling yorker specialist in Mumbai colours next season.

#2 Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle won two back to back orange caps with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011 and 2012

What Lasith Malinga has done with the ball for the Mumbai Indians, the Caribbean icon has done with the bat for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Gayle had a mediocre start to the IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders, which led to him going unsold in the auctions of 2011. RCB had picked up the Netherlands-turned-Australian pacer, Dirk Nannes.

When Dirk Nannes picked up an injury, RCB decided to call upon Gayle as a replacement. This 'replacement' turned out to be the most destructive force in IPL history. Which other man could plunder 175 runs in 63 balls? He has hit 265 sixes in his IPL career.

Suresh Raina is second with 173. And Gayle has played only 101 games as opposed to Raina's 161. He won the orange cap comfortably in his first two seasons for RCB before finishing a close second to Michael Hussey in the third. He has hit five centuries in the IPL, more than anyone else, and has played some absolutely breathtaking knocks.

Unfortunately, it looks like age has caught up with him. Gayle looked far from his best in the 2017 edition, scoring a mere 200 runs in his 9 appearances. In fact, failed to find a consistent place on the squad, owing to his lack of form.

The chances of the Royal Challengers Bangalore retaining the big man seem bleak. It looks like Chris Gayle is set to be up for sale at the 2018 auctions! Despite his age, he could still be a valuable asset to have, and could attract some attention in the auctions.

#3 Ravichandran Ashwin

Is this the end of Ravichandran Ashwin's spell with the Chennai Super Kings?

Ace Indian right-arm off-break Ravichandran Ashwin was a pivotal part of the Chennai Super Kings squad that won two IPL titles. Having joined the Super Kings in 2009, his illustrious performances in the IPL since then have paved his way in to the Indian cricket team, where he has established himself as the greatest spinner for the country in this decade. With a tally of 100 wickets and a fabulous economy of 6.55, he has been one of the best, if not the best spinner in IPL history.

However, since his move to the Rising Pune Supergiants, Ashwin has seemed to be a mere shadow of his former self. His position in the Indian cricket team has been in jeopardy of late.

In the 2016 edition of the IPL, Ravichandran Ashwin found himself being overshadowed and even replaced at times by his namesake, Murugan Ashwin. Despite having an overall economy of 6.55, his economy in that season was an uncharacteristic 7.31. He didn't feature in a single game in the 2017 edition, owing to an injury.

Another Chennai Super Kings legend, Suresh Raina, unceremoniously lost his place in the Indian cricket team. With a mediocre season with the Gujarat Lions in 2017 his place in the yellow jersey also seems to be in jeopardy, much like Ashwin's.

It looks like it's going to be either Raina or Ashwin who would be retained for the Chennai Super Kings. With Raina's incredible record in the IPL, he could have the edge, which may see the ace spinner from Tamil Nadu making his way to the auctions.

#4 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh could pack a punch with the bat too

Harbhajan Singh is the second name from the Mumbai Indians to feature in this list, and there are no surprises there. The defending champions have a star-studded lineup and could be the only franchisee who would have liked a higher cap on the number of players that could be retained. With an abundance of superstars in the Mumbai Indians team, the 37-year-old veteran, lovingly known as 'Bhajji', will in all likeliness not be retained.

With only 8 wickets in the last IPL season, Bhajji is no longer the threat he used to be. He even lost his place in the starting XI to an inspired Karn Sharma. Bhajji has arguably been Mumbai Indians' most prolific player, and his performances for the team over the past 10 years have been priceless.

Despite questions regarding his ability prior to the start of every season in the recent past, he has delivered consistently with the ball and has even thrown in some crucial knocks with the bat for good measure!

Besides Virat Kohli, Bhajji has been the only player to have represented the same franchise for all 10 seasons.

However, with the 'Turbanator', Harbhajan Singh, unlikely to be retained, it looks like Virat Kohli will be the only player to be representing the same franchise for the eleventh straight season. However, even though he may not be retained, the Mumbai Indians would definitely try and secure his services again in the auctions. In addition to his consistent bowling, he would be a valuable addition in the team with his vast IPL experience.

#5 Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan will be looking to recreate some magic from his Rajasthan Royals days

Yusuf Pathan, older brother of the then-popular Irfan Pathan, made his debut in the T20 world cup final against Pakistan in 2007. His short cameo with the bat as opener gave India the positive start that they needed. In the following year, Yusuf played the inaugural season of the IPL with the heavily underrated Rajasthan Royals.

Deccan Chargers were the favourites to win with explosive players like Shahid Afridi, Andrew Symonds and Herschelle Gibbs in their squad. The Rajasthan Royals, who were led by Shane Warne, were the least favourite to take the trophy home. To everyone's awe, Rajasthan Royals lifted the first ever IPL trophy, with inspired performances by relatively unknown players like Ravindra Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan.

Yusuf smashed 435 runs at a strike rate of 179.01 in the tournament and was man of the match in the finals against the Chennai Super Kings. He was IPL's biggest find in the inaugural season and he used his success in the tournament to leapfrog his way to the Indian cricket team.

His exploits for the Rajasthan Royals saw him bought at a hefty price by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2011 auctions, and he featured for the side regularly as their number 5 batsman. He proved to be a great resource to the Knight Riders, thanks to his explosive cameos with the bat and also his ability to pitch in with the ball at times. Sadly, he has gradually been losing his touch with both bat and ball over the years.

Having rustled up only 143 runs in the 2017 edition in 15 appearances, he is no longer the beast he used to be with the bat. Having bowled only 126 deliveries in the last four editions, the part-time bowler in him is no more. It is very unlikely that the Knight Riders will choose to retain his services.