From the 2022 season onwards, the IPL is going to be a 10-team affair after the inclusion of two new teams from Lucknow and Ahmedabad. But before the action begins on the cricket field, the ten teams will battle against each other on the auction table to get the star players in their ranks. And the process of it has started, with the existing eight franchises having the option to retain as many as four players from the previous squad. While the two new teams will have the right to pick three players before the mega auction. The Pioneer’s DRITI ATRI tells about the players that can be retained by their sides.
MUMBAI INDIANS
The Mumbai Indians are the most successful IPL team, having won five trophies and two back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020.They will have to let go many star players like Quinton de Kock, Trent Boult, Suryakumar Yadav, or even Hardik and Krunal Pandya from that winning squad. But they will retain skipper Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard and, most likely, Ishan Kishan. Rohit and Bumrah are irreplaceable players in the MI line-up and have played a big role in the Mumbai Indians’ success over the years. Pollard has represented MI for 12 years now and is one of the most experienced 3D players in T20 history. As for Ishan, he is a young, explosive batsman who can serve the franchise for many more years to come.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE
Virat has represented RCB since the inaugural season of the IPL and, despite his decision to step down from the captaincy, he is the most important player for Bangalore.
With Ab de Villiers’ retirement from cricket, Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, on the back of his strong IPL 2021 performance, could be retained by the franchise. Apart from the duo, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohammed Siraj, and 2021 edition purple cap winner Harshal Patel could be retained.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Shubman Gill, and Venkatesh Iyer. KKR will have to choose between the five, and the rest of the previous season’s squad is likely to go to auction. Shubman is a young, talented Indian batsman who is one for the future and could also be the next captain for the Kolkata side. While Venkatesh Iyer has impressed everyone in the second phase of the IPL 2021, he has also been selected to represent India in the New Zealand T20s.
While Sunil Narine and Andre Russell are KKR legends and have served the franchise for almost a decade now, they have played a major role in two title wins.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Sanju Samson is the first player the inaugural champions would like to keep for the upcoming season, and they can only choose two from the English trio of Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, and Jofra Archer.
All three are among the best players in T20 cricket and it will be a tough call to decide between them. But RR can go with Buttler and Archer over Stokes because of the impact they had on the franchise during their stint.
Both Archer and Stokes are struggling with injuries at the moment, and the RR management will keep a keen eye on that injury development as well ahead of making any decision.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
Despite struggling for form in the previous two seasons, the Chennai Super Kings have all but confirmed that MS Dhoni will play for the four-time IPL champions again in the upcoming season.
Another player who Chennai would like to keep is Ravindra Jadeja.The ace all-rounder is one of the best finishers in world cricket at the moment and is also an exceptional fielder.
Also, the 2021 season’s leading run getter, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and his opening partner, Faf du Plessis, could be retained by the yellow army. Sam Curran and Moeen Ali’s names are also in the fray, but Suresh Raina is likely to part ways with CSK now after more than a decade of bonding.
PUNJAB KINGS
KL Rahul is the most in-form batsman in the IPL since he joined the Punjab Kings in 2018. He scored 659 runs in 2018, 593 in 2019, 670 in 2020 and 626 in 2021 for the Mohali-based side. But despite that, the team has failed to make any major impact in the tournament and is still struggling for its maiden IPL title.
If KL Rahul decides to leave Punjab, it will be a huge blow for the team.
In the event that KL leaves, Punjab can retain Mayank Agarwal and Mohammed Shami. Apart from being Indian players, the duo have performed well in the last few seasons and are the key players in the PBKS setup.
DELHI CAPITALS
DC, in all likelihood, will retain local lad Rishabh Pant ahead of Shreyas Iyer, who is likely to go in the auction pool, as he is looking for an opportunity to lead an IPL team and he will not be short of suitors as well, particularly after his impressive stint as DC captain in the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
According to reports, DC will retain young opener Prithvi Shaw, all-rounder Axar Patel and South African pacer Anrich Nortje ahead of the mega auctions, which means Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin and Kagiso Rabada will go to the auction pool.
Shaw and Axar are young and have made a name for themselves in the IPL circuit and can serve DC for many more years to come.
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
Sunrisers Hyderabad finished last in the 2021 IPL and are likely to undergo major changes in their team combination ahead of the new season.
With the BCCI stating that only two overseas players can be retained, one of David Warner, Kane Williamson, or Rashid Khan must depart, and it is most likely that David Warner will be the one to go, especially after being dropped from the squad during the second phase of the 2021 IPL.
Even though he redeemed his pride by being the Man of the Tournament in the 2021 T20 World Cup, SRH is unlikely to retain him.