5 institutions who may not remain with their teams in IPL 2018
The much awaited player retention policy for the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League was recently released. An incredible 10 years of IPL have just whizzed by, much like Brett Lee's deliveries. Under-19 world cup winning captain Virat Kohli is now team India's record breaking skipper, well on his way towards being an all-time great.
Players like Sanath Jayasuriya, VVS Laxman, Matthew Hayden, Shaun Pollock, Stephen Fleming, Herschelle Gibbs, and Glenn McGrath graced the inaugural season.
The change that IPL has brought to cricket has needless to say been monumental. A lot of talented players, who wouldn't have had the opportunity otherwise, have been discovered at the IPL. Men, women and children of all ages assemble in front of their television sets at 8 P.M. every night to watch their favourite franchisees battle it out.
Over the years, a number of superstars have established themselves in the IPL. Chris Gayle, who was unsold in the 2011 auction, was called upon by Royal Challengers Bangalore to replace injured Dirk Nannes.
The rest, as most of us know, is history. Another big West Indian, Kieron Pollard, made his mark at his auction where four franchisees emptied their entire salary purse in order to gain his services, resulting in a four-way tie. What followed was an unconventional silent bid, which was won by the Mumbai Indians.
They must be thanking their stars for that win, for the charismatic all-rounder has been instrumental in all of their three IPL title victories. This list of IPL miracles could go on. There have been a plethora of players who have made their mark, be it as one-season wonders (how many of us remember Paul Valthaty?), or as consistent players across multiple seasons.
Sport is a cruel world. No matter how exceptional you might have been in the past, there comes a day when your form dips, and you lose your spot to one among the ample competitors waiting for their opportunity. With a maximum of only five retentions allowed per franchisee, we could see some big superstars of the yesteryear not being retained. Let's take a look at some of these big superstars who could be a part of the auction in 2018: