New Delhi: Four big members of India’s victorious 2011 ICC World Cup have not found themselves in the preliminary list of players for the team’s defence of the title in Australia and New Zealand next year, which could mean the end of their international careers.

The discarded Punjab pair of Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, as well as Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have not been named in the pool of 30 probables the BCCI selectors announced on Thursday, with younger players with recent ODI experience being preferred. The final trimmed list of 15 for the 2015 World Cup is to be named in January. Only four members of the 2011 World Cup squad remain – skipper MS Dhoni, vice-captain Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and R Ashwin.

Yuvraj, Player of the Tournament in India’s successful 2011 World Cup, has not played an ODI in nearly a year and previously represented the country during the ICC World Twenty20 in April. His most recent outing was the Vijay Hazare Trophy in which he scored 204 runs in eight innings at an average of 29.14, with a single half-century. His Punjab captain, Harbhajan, took eight wickets at an average of 48.12 and economy of 4.63; his last ODI was in July 2011. In the same tournament, Sehwag averaged 21.83 and Gambhir 33.33, both Delhi batsman scoring one fifty each. The pair has not played ODIs since January 2013.

The exclusion of another World Cup winner, Zaheer Khan, was not a surprise considering the lack of cricket he has played. Aged 36, he last featured in the IPL in May and his ODI tally is certain to stand at 282 wickets from 200 matches – India’s fourth most successful bowler ever.

The majority of players to have formed India’s limited-overs squads this year were all part of the list, while fringe players such as Kedar Jadhav,

Manoj Tiwary, Sanju Samson and Parvez Rasool were named too. Among those with serious chances of making India’s final squad of 15 are Robin Uthappa and Wriddhiman Saha. Uthappa, 29, played the last of his 43 ODIs during the recent Sri Lanka series at home, five months after being recalled to the squad for three matches in Bangladesh. The Karnataka wicketkeeper-batsman had a superb IPL 7 for winners Kolkata Knight Riders and this domestic season scored 214 runs at 35.66 in his state team’s defence of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In addition, Uthappa effected eight dismissals behind the stumps.

His strongest opponent for a spot as India’s reserve wicketkeeper in the World Cup squad, Bengal’s Saha, also featured in the recent ODIs and is currently in Australia with the Test squad; the 30-year-old boosted his chances with six dismissals and 56 not out in the touring Indians’ first practice match in Adelaide. The other wicketkeeping candidate is Kerala’s Samson, 20, earmarked for the future but who does not have good limited-overs form to show for of late.

Considering the BCCI revamped the 2014-15 domestic calendar to allow the selectors judge limited-overs form before the deadline of picking the probables, success in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s premier domestic one-day competition, it was expected that successes there would merit selection in the probables. But barring Manish Pandey, who top-scored with 472 runs at 118, and Manoj Tiwary, who scored 302 runs and then added 226 in two matches of the Deodhar Trophy, there have been no form batsmen included. Bengal and East Zone pace bowler Ashok Dinda, Man of the Match in East’s win in the Duleep final on Wednesday, has been named.

There are eight fast bowlers in the probables: Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohit Sharma and Ashok Dinda. Mohit has not played for a couple months owing to injury, but has been kept in the probables. Murali Vijay has found a place as an opening option, but looks unlikey to go considering the selectors have first-choice picks such as Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Ajinjya Rahane. Cheteshwar Pujara was overlooked.

Behind the preferred trio of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel, the spinners in the pool include Amit Mishra, Karn Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav and Parvez Rasool. Akshar’s rapid elevation to the ODI team after a successful IPL 7 for Kings XI Punjab leaves him a solid chance for the World Cup, and he has wickets to show for in his most recent matches against West Indies and Sri Lanka. Stuart Binny also makes it as an allrounder.

A notable omission was left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who has not featured in an ODI since July 2012 and whose last Test appearance was over a year ago. The 28-year-old, leading Hyderabad in the domestic season, struggled to make an impact in the Vijay Hazare Trophy – he took just two wickets in five matches.

India have been pooled alongside Pakistan, South Africa, UAE, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland at the World Cup. They play their first match against Pakistan on February 15 in Adelaide.

India World Cup preliminary squad:

Batsmen: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Manoj Tiwary, Manish Pandey, Murali Vijay

Wicketkeeper: ?MS Dhoni, Wriddhiman Saha, Sanju Samson

Allrounders: ?Ravindra Jadeja, Akshar Patel, Stuart Binny, Parvez Rasool

Spinners: R Ashwin, Karn Sharma, Amit Mishra, Kuldeep Yadav

Fast bowlers: Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohd Shami, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohit Sharma, Ashok Dinda