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

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Could this be the end of the road for veterans Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga?

#1 Lasith Malinga

India v Sri Lanka - 2011 ICC World Cup Final
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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.

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