IPL 2019: Released Players XI

With the World Cup set to start in May next year, there have been talks of the next edition of the Indian Premier League being brought forward. The venue is still not clear, as the general elections are also set to happen next year.

Hence, November 15 was announced as the last date for the franchises to give their list of released players. This way, the auctions could be conducted in December, and the teams would get a good idea of where they stand well before the start of the season.

All the eight teams have released their list of players who have not been retained for the 2019 season. These lists include some talented players who have either been released due to their inconsistent form or because of the concerns regarding their availability next year.

Here, we have compiled a well-balanced XI consisting of such players.

Openers - Aaron Finch and Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir did not feature for Delhi in the latter half of the season after he quit his captaincy. With Shikhar Dhawan brought in, Gambhir will be surplus to requirements and has therefore been released.

Finch got only a few opportunities at the top in the previous season and he failed to impress in the middle-order. He is an integral part of the Aussie World Cup squad though, and his availability might be limited.

Middle order - Yuvraj Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Manoj Tiwary

Yuvraj Singh has been released yet again

Yuvraj Singh failed on his comeback to the Punjab team in 2018. He has not been in form at the domestic level either, and might struggle to find an IPL team next year.

Glenn Maxwell failed to produce any good performances last season. Moreover, he could be in the Australia squad for the World Cup and hence has been released by the Delhi team.

Manoj Tiwary could not emulate his success with RPS in KXIP. He was part of the unsuccessful Punjab middle order and has therefore been released.

Wicket-keeper - Wriddhiman Saha

Saha will have to find a new team in the upcoming season

Saha is one of the very few Indian players to have scored a century in an IPL final. However, his form in the shortest format has been dismal in recent times.

He failed to get going with the SRH team in the previous season and hence he has been released to the auctions now. Also, the Bengal keeper is coming back from a major injury which might have prompted SRH to release him.

All-rounders - Axar Patel and Carlos Brathwaite

Axar Patel was a surprise inclusion in the released list

Axar Patel has been a part of the Kings XI Punjab setup for a long time, and it was a major surprise that he was released. His all-round abilities and his acrobatics on the field will be an asset to any team.

Carlos Brathwaite did not get a lot of game time last season with SRH, but his performances have anyway not been great in recent times despite the fact that he is Windies' T20 captain. SRH have brought in two all-rounders into the team as part of the Shikhar Dhawan trade, and hence Braithwaite has been released.

Bowlers - Mitchell Starc, Jaydev Unadkat and Mohit Sharma

Unadkat could not justify his price-tag at RR

Starc has done very little justice to his IPL franchises in the recent past. Although he was good with RCB in the beginning, he failed to turn up in many subsequent seasons. He was ruled out last season due to injury too, and KKR's huge investment in him at the auction went for a toss. Starc's fragility and non-availability have made KKR release him to the auctions.

Unadkat was the costliest Indian player in the previous auction but the Saurashtra bowler was not able to live up to his price. He is still one of the best left-hand bowlers in India though, and will likely command a good price in the upcoming auctions too.

Mohit Sharma has been released after an unsuccessful season with KXIP in 2018. He is one of the better Indian bowlers to have been released and hence makes it into this squad.