IPL 2022: Chennai and Mumbai retain core team; Rajasthan and Sunrisers spring surprise

The wait is over! All the eight Indian Premier League teams have announced the list of players they have retained ahead of the mega auction. With the window for franchises to retain players for the IPL 2022 season closing on Tuesday, the final released list has shown some unexpected twists. Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders have opted to retain four players each. However, Punjab Kings have retained the least number of players (2) by keeping hold of Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh. Meanwhile, the inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have retained three players each.

A total of 90 crores have been allotted as the salary cap for all the teams. Each of the eight franchises was allowed to keep up to four players, with a maximum of three Indians, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indians. With only a limited number of players available for retention, the franchises were forced to make some difficult decisions. The most surprising calls came from Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Punjab Kings. Overall, PBKS have the largest salary purse available, worth 72 crores, while Delhi Capitals have the smallest, worth 47.50 crores, to be used in the mega auction.

The @ChennaiIPL retention list is out! ?

Take a look! ?#VIVOIPLRetention pic.twitter.com/3uyOJeabb6

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 30, 2021

CSK, MI retain tried and tested players

Two of the most successful franchises in the IPL history – Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians – have decided to keep hold of their star players who have offered a lot of for their teams in the past years. Veteran CSK players Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni’s retention was not a surprise, while, Ruturaj Gaikwad also made perfect sense. Gaikwad won the Orange Cap for scoring the most runs – 635 – last season and was also given the Emerging Player of the Year award.

Moeen Ali also had a tournament to remember, making it easier for the team to retain him. However, the release of Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo could stir up a debate among the CSK faithful. Nonetheless, the Chennai side have shown in the past of trying to retain their core players during auctions. It might be the same this time, thereby some of the released names may well end up returning to the side once again.

The @mipaltan retention list is out!

Comment below and let us know what do you make of it❓#VIVOIPLRetention pic.twitter.com/rzAx6Myw3B

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 30, 2021

On the other hand, Mumbai Indians – the most successful team in the history of the tournament – have also kept hold of their tried and tested players. No one will question the decision to retain Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard and Jasprit Bumrah. However, there might be some discussions held over the retention of Suryakumar Yadav. A lot of debate happened among fans on who to retain among Suryakumar and Ishan Kishan before the final list was announced. Besides, the omissions of Hardik and Krunal Pandya, Quinton de Kock, and Trent Boult will raise a few eyebrows.

RR, PBKS and SRH make surprising calls

The decision to not include Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer in the retention list of three players will surprise some Rajasthan Royals’ fans. Both English players have been an important part of their national team and will surely be missed by the fans if they are not picked up in the mega auction. Besides, the decision to keep hold of Yashasvi Jaiswal will be debated hotly. The teenager did not have an exceptional IPL season last time out, nonetheless, he showed his potential in some matches and could very well become a future star. 

Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s plan to retain skipper Kane Williamson will not be a surprise. But the retention of two uncapped Indian players in the form of Abdul Samad and Umran Malik will raise a few eyebrows. Spinner Rashid Khan has reportedly asked for his name to be in the mega auction and hence was not retained. David Warner, Bhuvneswar Kumar and T Natarajan will be missed by their fans. 

Elsewhere, Punjab Kings’ decision to retain only two players will also be a topic of hot debate. Opener Mayank Agarwal and bowler Arshdeep Singh are the ones retained. But the real talking point will be about the ones who are not with the team. Most of the debates will be around KL Rahul. It is reported that the franchise tried to keep hold of him but the player refused.