Hyderabad: The fate of 332 cricketers will be decided in Kolkata on December 19 as they will be called out by the auctioneer at the IPL 2020 players' auction.
However, there are also some players who have retired from international cricket or have announced retirement but will still play IPL for their respective franchises.
Here's a look at those former players who will play an integral role for their respective franchises.
1. AB de Villiers
Famous by the name of Mr 360, South Africa batsman AB de Villiers announced his retirement from international cricket in 2018, however, he continues to ply his trade in domestic T20 tournament around the globe.
De Villiers is an integral member of the RCB squad. He has so far played 154 matches in the Indian Premier League in which he has scored 4395 runs. With 33 fifties and 3 centuries, de Villiers needs to perform well if RCB are to do well in the upcoming edition.
2. Imran Tahir
One of the most successful South African bowlers, 39-year-old Imran Tahir announced his retirement from international cricket after the completion of 2019 Cricket World Cup. The spine of Chennai Super Kings' spin-bowling department, Tahir won the purple cap for most wickets in IPL 2019 with 26 wickets in his kitty.
3. Chris Gayle
Ahead of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Chris Gayle had announced that he will retire at the end of India's tour to West Indies. However, after the conclusion of the series, Gayle said that he will not retire and will continue playing although he has not played for West Indies since.
Gayle is an integral member of the Kings XI Punjab side and has appeared 125 times in IPL scoring 4484 runs.
4. Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo is one of the core players of Chennai Super Kings. He had announced his retirement from international cricket in 2018, however, Bravo can be seen in various T20 leagues around the world.
He has singlehandedly won CSK a number of matches through his all-round capabilities and has also won the Purple Cap for Most IPL wickets in the year 2013 and 2015.
5. Shane Watson
Despite announcing his retirement from international cricket in 2016, Shane Watson has consistently appeared in IPL. For the past two seasons, he has been an integral member of the CSK team and has often produced some match-winning innings for the Chennai based side.
Watson scored an all-important century in the final of the 2018 IPL which eventually helped CSK win the tournament. Chennai would once again hope that Watson sizzles in the upcoming edition.