The cash-rich Indian Premier League commences its 15th season with a massive expansion from eight to ten teams and a mega auction. The two teams from Ahmedabad and Lucknow were chosen through a competitive bidding process among interested stakeholders. CVC Capitals acquired Ahmedabad, and the RP Sanjiv Goenka Group acquired the Lucknow franchise. The existing teams could retain only four players at maximum and the two new teams will get to pick three non-retained players.
While it was certain that some star players in Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli will be retained by their respective franchises, the retention decisions of some franchises were surprising to an extent. While many performers were retained as expected, but some star players were released ahead of the mega auctions.
Here are five surprising releases by the franchises:
5. David Warner (SRH)
A surprising but predictable decision was made by the SRH franchise to release a star player. David Warner, the franchise’s superstar and the captain was released ahead of the mega auctions. David Warner and SRH had an unbreakable bond of respect and affection towards each other. However, the relationship turned sour this year after SRH endured a disastrous season in the 14th edition of the IPL.
Warner was stripped of his captaincy duties and was even denied a place in the SRH playing XI. According to reports, he had a major disagreement with the franchise’s management over a position in the starting XI. As a result, management decided to remove Warner from his position as captain and hand over the reins to Kane Williamson.
After a difficult IPL season, Warner made a strong comeback in the T20 World Cup 2021. He was the tournament’s second-highest run-getter and was named “Player of the Tournament” for his valiant efforts in leading Australia to World Cup victory. SRH may suffer a significant loss in terms of brand value as a result of Warner’s release, as well as the loss of a marvellous player and astute captain.
4. KL Rahul(PBKS)
The Punjab franchise and the management are never known for sticking with a player and grooming him for the future and it happened again for the umpteenth time that their star player decided to leave the franchise. KL Rahul, the current Indian T20 vice-captain, decided to return to the auction table and start over in a new team. With KL Rahul’s absence, the Punjab Kings now lack a captain, a wicketkeeper, and a prolific batter in the top order.
From 2018 to 2021, he was a consistent performer for the Punjab Kings, but the franchise struggled to play as a unit. As a result, they were unable to qualify for the playoffs at least once during his tenure. The Punjab Kings franchise was primarily a one-man show, with Rahul as the star. Every season he spent with the Punjab Kings, he was among the top five run-scorers.
He wanted to leave the franchise because it was unable to put together a balanced team. With Rahul’s departure, the franchise has to restart its team-building process again. Also, because he was the franchise’s face, Punjab Kings may suffer financially as a result of his departure.
3. Yuzvendra Chahal (RCB)
Yuzvendra Chahal, the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s premier leg spinner, was released ahead of the mega auctions, surprising many experts and fans. With 139 wickets, Chahal was the most successful bowler in the RCB franchise since its inception. RCB chose to retain Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal which raised many eyebrows.
Chahal was dependable for the Bengaluru-based franchise throughout his tenure. After a lacklustre first half of IPL 2021, which resulted in his exclusion from the Indian squad, he returned with a zeal to defy the odds. In the second half of the IPL 2021, he took 14 wickets in eight games for RCB at an impressive economy rate of 7.05.
Chahal and RCB couldn’t close out financial deals. He didn’t want to be retained as the franchise’s fourth player for only INR 6 crores after serving the franchise for seven seasons. He undoubtedly desired to be retained at a higher price than his fellow teammates. It will be interesting to see if RCB wants to get him back if he enters the mega auctions. Overall, if he does not return, it will be a huge loss for the RCB because he was a category of spinner who was successful in difficult Chinnaswamy pitches.
2. Faf Du Plessis (CSK)
The South African opening batter was the most valuable player in Chennai Super Kings’ successful run in IPL 2021. A vastly experienced player, a magnificent batter and a brilliant fielder, Faf du Plessis contributed in all games for the MS Dhoni-led franchise. He was released before the mega auctions, as CSK chose Moeen Ali as their overseas option due to his multidimensional abilities.
Faf plundered 633 runs at a strike rate of 138.20 in the 14th edition of IPL. He was only behind his partner Ruturaj Gaikwad in terms of the highest run-getters in the tournament. He complemented Gaikwad due to his pace-hitting capabilities. With field restrictions only allowing two fielders outside of the 30-yard circle, he attempted to cash in on the pwerplay itself. Moreover, he was an absolute gun fielder in the deep and took some breathtaking catches for the team.
Moeen Ali was chosen ahead of him by CSK solely because of his all-round abilities. Moeen provided multidimensional skills with his off-spin bowling and aggressive left-handed batting. Faf, 37, would have served for the franchise for no more than three years. Nonetheless, he is in the best form of his life and is perfectly prepared to compete in high-intensity matches. If CSK does not repurchase him in the mega auction, it will be a huge loss for them given his experience and ability to handle pressure.
1. Rashid Khan (SRH)
It came as a shocker to the fans when Sunrisers Hyderabad announced that they wouldn’t be retaining their star spinner Rashid for IPL 2022. Rashid is arguably the best T20 player in the world right now, and franchises must be vying for his services.
It was not as if Rashid did not perform for his team in the past season. He was the leading wicket-taking spinner in the 14th edition of the IPL. While SRH endured an underwhelming season, Rashid was a glimmer of hope in their tournament. He picked up 18 wickets at an impressive economy rate of just 6.69 and was considered to be the brand for the SRH franchise.
Given his stature in the format of the game, he presumably wanted to be the first retention. However, the SRH management did not agree to his proposal and instead chose to keep Kane Williamson as their first retention. This might have forced Rashid Khan to leave the franchise and look for a new start in the IPL next season. In the history of IPL retentions, this can be considered a major blunder on the part of SRH’s management.
from CricTracker https://ift.tt/3EeCfvZ
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