Top 5 players who will play their last ODI World Cup in 2027

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 is one year away, with the tournament all set to be held in Southern Africa in October-November. It will be the 14th edition of cricket’s oldest and most celebrated tournament, as several big names will be in action at the quadrennial event.

While many new names will be playing their maiden World Cup in the upcoming edition, there will be several veterans who will likely be seen for the last time in the tournament. As the countdown to the World Cup 2027 begins, here are five players who could well be playing their last World Cup in the upcoming edition:

1. Virat Kohli

The batting stalwart has dropped a major retirement bombshell as he’s made it clear that the upcoming edition will be his last World Cup for India. Kohli will turn 38 on November 5 this year and will be approaching his 40s by the next World Cup. He had a record-breaking campaign in the previous edition, scoring 765 runs from 11 innings and will be looking to finish on the high in the upcoming edition as well.

2. Mitchell Starc

The Australia fast bowler is counted among the greatest bowlers in World Cup history, being the third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Starc has 65 wickets to his name from just 28 innings and has a great chance to become the tournament's all-time highest wicket-taker by surpassing Glenn McGrath (71 wickets). Starc will turn 37 in 2027 and has already retired from T20Is. He will likely hang up his boots after the mega event in 2027 as well.

3. Rohit Sharma

The former India captain has been one of the finest batters in World Cup history. He slammed a record five centuries in the 2019 edition and followed it up with a tally of 597 runs in the 2023 edition. Rohit will turn 40 by the next World Cup, and with Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings, the star batter will likely hang up his boots after the tournament.

4. David Miller

David Miller has been an integral part of the Proteas white-ball teams over the past decade. Miller boasts a great record at the ODI World Cup, having scored 816 runs from 21 innings at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 113.33. Miller currently doesn’t hold a national contract with Cricket South Africa (CSA), which signals an impending retirement. 

Retiring on a high after a home World Cup could well be the farewell Miller is eyeing.

5. Jos Buttler

The wicketkeeper batter has been pivotal to England’s success in white-ball cricket over the past decade. Buttler has played 204 ODIs in his career so far, scoring 5678 runs, including 11 centuries and 30 fifties. He will turn 37 just ahead of the next World Cup and would be hoping to hang up his boots with a winner’s medal around his neck.