IPL 2019: One Player from each team who could be playing their last season

The Indian Premier League has served as the talent scout for the nation as well as an opportunity for retired players to have some cricketing action before completely hanging up their boots. Age is certainly not the criteria for performance and there have been top performers in the IPL, both young and old.

But every great career has to come to an end and one of the sweetest moments in IPL history was when the Mumbai Indians won the IPL title for the first time in 2013 dedicating it to the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar who got a brilliant farewell. Let's take a look at one player from each team who could be playing their last season in the IPL.

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#1 Kings XI Punjab- Chris Gayle

One of the legends of the IPL, Chris Gayle has never been out of the limelight as far as the IPL is concerned. He is practically an IPL legend and has continued to live on after being given a new lease by the Kings XI Punjab last season which he used well. He scored 368 runs in 11 matches averaging a good 40.88 with some of the big hitting coming back to haunt a few bowlers.

Chris Gayle after scoring a 100 against CSK

Gayle is just 6 runs short of reaching the 4000 run mark in the IPL which he can bridge even on the first ball he faces. He has hit 292 sixes and his Strike-Rate in his career 150.71. Gayle can certainly bat despite his age but he might decide to gloriously retire after this IPL because he turns 40 this year and after the World Cup, there isn't really much to play for the Big Jamaican hence this might be his last chance to lift an IPL title which he has deserved.

#2 Delhi Capitals- Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra is one of the most underrated cricketers both in international cricket and in the IPL. Almost a lone ranger for the former Daredevils, Mishra has picked up 146 wickets in 136 IPL matches with a brilliant economy rate of 7.39 and bowling strike-rate of 19.59. He picked up 12 wickets last season in the 10 matches he played with a miserly economy rate of 7.13 and despite his age, Mishra isn't too far from his prime.

Amit Mishra

But with new spinners and younger, energetic players coming into the fray, Mishra might call it a day as far as the IPL is concerned and not push himself too much. For all that he's done in the domestic circuit and in the IPL, Mishra deserved another chance with India. While many people have talked about CSK winning the title for MSD, Mishra deserves one from the Daredevils.

#3 Chennai Super Kings- Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh has been one of India's best cricketers and a big star as far as the IPL is concerned. Winning 3 titles with the Mumbai Indians, 'Bhajji' switched colors and played for the Chennai Super Kings in 2018 winning his 4th title that season. He was expected to be released by the Super Kings because of his lackluster performance and age but CSK sticking to their 'experience over youth' formula retained him for the season.

CLT20 2012 Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians

It remains to be seen how many matches he will get because of the many options available and due to better options than him. Harbhajan might be in the side but this IPL is most likely to be his last considering his age and form. His IPL legacy, though will never be affected even if he retires.

#4 Kolkata Knight Riders- Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa has been a mainstay in the KKR batting order for quite some time now, ever since he won the Orange Cap in their title-winning campaign in 2014. His consistency carried over to the next season but ever since his form has been taking a dip and last season when a lot was expected of him, Uthappa disappointed scoring 365 runs from 16 innings at a sub-par average of 21.93 leaving skipper Dinesh Karthik to do the scoring part which he did very well.

Robin Uthappa

Uthappa isn't too old, just 33 but his form and his inactivity in the domestic circuit might affect his performances and considering how he isn't in fray for the World Cup or that he has made forays into commentary, he might be considering retirement as a possible plan and this IPL might be his last.

#5 Mumbai Indians- Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh would be the most popular pick from the Mumbai Indians despite options like Lasith Malinga in the team. He was bought as a last resort at his base price of ₹1 Crore by the Mumbai Indians.

Yuvraj Singh has been prominent in the domestic circuit but his IPL performances in the last few years have been poor. Last season, playing for the Kings XI Punjab, Yuvraj could score just 65 runs from 8 matches and his bowling has completely become ineffective.

Yuvraj Singh in action for the Kings XI Punjab. This will mostly be his last season

Yuvraj was certainly a force to reckon with a few years back but now, his form has dipped and it really won't be a surprise if he decides to hang up his boots post this season unless he does something really extraordinary that might convince him to do otherwise.

#6 Rajasthan Royals- Stuart Binny

It was a surprise to see the Rajasthan Royals retain Stuart Binny after his horrendous run of games for them last season. Binny hasn't been how he was before for the Royals and his form over the last 3 years has been extremely poor. With his value dropping with every game he plays, Binny's IPL career might well come to an end because of the endless newcomers and talented youngsters knocking on the doors.

Stuart Binny

Binny scored 44 runs in 7 matches at an average of 8.80 and couldn't pick up a single wicket. Binny is now one of many good options for the Rajasthan Royals and there is more of a chance as him being used sparingly than being given more chances. Once a great asset to India but he has now faded and is most likely not to feature in an IPL season again.

#7 Royal Challengers Bangalore- Parthiv Patel

For most cricketing fans, it would seem like Parthiv Patel has been around for too long and he should be 36+ but he is not. Parthiv made his debut when he was 17 and is now 33 years old playing for the RCB. The Royal Challengers Bangalore signed no proper opener at the auction causing us to believe that Parthiv will be the first choice opener. He had a decent season last time out where he shined in the limited opportunities given. He scored 153 runs in 6 matches averaging 30.60.

Parthiv Patel

His IPL career though hasn't been much to talk about as he possesses subpar stats. Though it may seem like he has a lot of time left, Parthiv really has nothing left to play for. Rishabh Pant his sealed his spot in the Test side and there is no chance for Parthiv to make it into the teams in the other formats, not with the competition there is.

All things considered, he might take a premature decision of hanging his boots up in the IPL if this season doesn't prove to be magical for him.

#8 Sunrisers Hyderabad- Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan is an IPL legend. No doubt about that. A big hitter and a handy off-spinner, he made history with the Rajasthan Royals before being the finisher for the Kolkata Knight Riders with many memorable victories in his belt. His stint with the Sunrisers Hyderabad though hasn't been much to talk about.

His performance in 2018 was much better than in 2017 but still, wasn't enough for holding a spot in the team for him. He averaged 28.88 and scored 260 runs in 15 matches last season and honestly, the chances of him doing better than that this season is very slim.

Yusuf Pathan

With David Warner making a return and a possible shuffle in the batting order due to Wriddhiman Saha, Yusuf might well not get a chance to play if he doesn't perform well and nevertheless, he might feel that this season might be the best time for him to retire with the World Cup approaching and all, this might be the last season in the IPL for Yusuf Pathan.