Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh were released by their respective squads, Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab, last week. The tough call was taken during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 Pre-auction trade window, which ended on November 15. The decision was supported by former Indian chief selector Sandeep Patil, who said he would have done the same.

Sandeep Patil said that he wasn’t surprised by the decision of leaving the two veterans out, and he, as a franchise owner, would have done the same. In his column for the Quint, Patil wrote, “It was sad to read about Indian stars being left out by their respective IPL franchises, but to be honest, I am not at all surprised.”

He further added, “Yuvraj and Gautam have been my favourite players and remain my favourite, but as a franchise owner, if I have to take a call on them being part of my team, I would also have dropped them.”

Gautam Gambhir was roped in by Delhi Daredevils last year. The Delhi southpaw was quite excited to be at the franchise where he began his IPL career, and was determined to repeat his KKR’s success with the Daredevils. However, after a disappointing start to the season, he had stepped down from the captaincy, and was later benched throughout the tournament. Will the IPL 2019 Not Played in India? The 12th Indian Premier League Might Be Scheduled to Take Place in UAE or South Africa, Says Report.

Speaking on Gautam Gambhir’s exclusion, Patil wrote, “Gambhir led KKR respectfully and won two IPL titles for them. But age is something which not only catches up with players, but also slows down the player, affecting their performance. I don’t have to name the players, but it has happened to cricketers in the past and will continue to happen in the future as well.”

Yuvraj Singh seemed to have born for the T20Is given how his exploits were in the inaugural ICC World T20 in 2007. Since then his stock price in the IPL had always made headlines, auction after auction. Despite returning from the cancer-threatening injury, Yuvraj was one of the most sought players in the cash-rich cricket league. IPL 2019 Auction Trade Window Updates: Full List of Indian and Overseas Players Who Are In and Out Ahead of Indian Premier League Teams!

Commenting on Yuvraj’s exclusion, Patil wrote, “Three years back, Yuvraj Singh was the highest paid IPL cricketer, and everybody was only too happy to have him in their team. Not just these players, there have been countless others. In fact, it used to be the talk of the town - whether these players really deserve these kinds of hefty fees or not.”

With the players set to go under the hammer in the Indian Premier League Auction 2019 soon, it will be interesting to see if the heroes of India’s World Cups’ wins in 2007 and 2011 find a place in any squad. The auction is speculated to take place on December 18, in Jaipur. Stay tuned with us for the latest updates about IPL 2019!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 21, 2018 12:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).