IPL 2018: 5 top cricketers who won't be playing in the competition again
The Indian Premier League is just a few days away from now. The best players in the world will take on each other for 6 weeks of non-stop, entertaining action. However, not all of them are fortunate enough to get the opportunity to play in the competition.
Some big names have missed out on the tournament since a long period of time. From injuries or international commitments to not being skilled or versatile enough for the tournament, the reasons have varied. After all, teams look for players who are available and can bring them the most value by turning the game around quickly in the T20 format.
Despite being stars of their national sides who have accomplished a lot, the IPL wasn’t meant for them in the last 3-4 seasons and has become a vague memory. Here are 5 cricketers who make this list –
#1 Marlon Samuels
If West Indies have to thank someone for two World T20 victories in 2012 and 2016, it has got to be Marlon Samuels. Samuels was the man who was the game-changer in both the tournaments' finals, scoring 78 in one of them against Sri Lanka and an unbeaten 85 in the 2016 edition against England.
An average of 30 and a strike rate of nearly 120 in T20 cricket is very decent. But it comes as a surprise that his success in other competitions hasn't translated into the IPL. He first played in the tournament for the Pune Warriors India outfit in 2012 and 2013. In 10 games, he scored a mere 132 runs for them at a strike rate below 100.
He missed out on the tournament for 4 years. So he was almost like a wildcard entry for the Delhi Daredevils in the 2017 edition. However, there was no redemption for the West Indian batsman as he averaged a poor 7.25 in the 5 matches he played. As a result, he won't be playing this year as well and at the age of 37, the IPL 2017 could very well be his last ever.