IPL 2018: 5 star players who are unlikely to be retained by Mumbai Indians
Having won the tournament a record three times, Mumbai Indians are one of the most decorated teams in the Indian Premier League. One of their hallmarks has been their decision to maintain the same core group of players who have performed consistently over the years.
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However, they are likely to face a problem of plenty while deciding whom to retain for the next season. According to the rules laid down by the IPL Governing council, each franchise can retain a maximum of five players. The split is as follows - three capped Indian players, two overseas players and two uncapped Indian players.
As a consequence, they will have to let go of some old faces before next year's season. Here are five players who are unlikely to be retained by Mumbai Indians for the 2018 IPL edition.
#5 Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga is the most successful bowler in the history of the IPL. He has taken a record 154 wickets from 110 matches. The Sri Lankan maestro has played a pivotal role in all of Mumbai Indians' triumphs over the years.
However, age seems to have caught up with him as he is no longer the bowler he used to be. The veteran was completely off-colour during the 2017 IPL campaign as he could only pick up 11 wickets from 12 matches while also leaking runs at 8.84 runs per over.
With a dependable death bowler such as Jasprit Bumrah in their ranks, it is extremely likely that Mumbai Indians and Lasith Malinga will part ways after a long and fruitful partnership.