While fans expected KL Rahul to not be a part of the Punjab Kings lineup for the upcoming season, the release of Hardik Pandya by the Mumbai Indians was out of the blue.
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Big names were retained and there were more than a few surprises when all eight franchises of the Indian Premier League (IPL) announced the players that they retained ahead of the upcoming auction. The likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and Rohit Sharma were retained by their respective teams and these were no surprises there. However, there were a few omissions that fans might talk about for a while. Mumbai Indians (MI) have not announced the names of Hardik or Krunal Pandya and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have not retained the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal and Harshal Patel. Reigning champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) seem to have made balanced choices when it comes to the players they have retained and last-season’s runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have left out the likes of Eoin Morgan and Shubman Gill.
The Challengers have retained the likes of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammad Siraj. While the first two come as no surprise, it is Siraj’s retention that will raise a few eyebrows. The men in red could have retained players like Devdutt Padikkal, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Harshal Patel. Fans will have mixed feelings about the decision taken by the RCB management.
Players retained
Virat Kohli – 15 crores
Glenn Maxwell – 11 crores
Mohammad Siraj – 7 crores
The most successful team in the history of the IPL, Mumbai Indians, have retained four players. These are skipper Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav. All four have earned the right to stay in the team but the omission of the likes of Hardik and Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock, and Trent Boult is a bit surprising given how much these respective players have individually contributed to the team.
Players retained
Rohit Sharma – 16 crores
Jasprit Bumrah – 12 crores
Kieron Pollard – 6 crores
Suryakumar Yadav – 8 crores
Reigning champions CSK have retained Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Dhoni was always going to be a name in the retention list and the other three players have proved their mettle to be a part of the team. The release of the likes of Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo would be heartbreaking news for the Chennai faithful, but overall, fans will be happy.
Players retained
Ravindra Jadeja – 16 crores
MS Dhoni – 12 crores
Moeen Ali – 8 crores
Ruturaj Gaikwad – 4 crores
The runners-up of the 2021 IPL season, KKR, have retained Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, and Varun Chakravarthy. The big surprise, of course, would be the release of the young opener Shubman Gill. The fact that the men in purple chose Venkatesh over Gill simply shows how valuable the player has become to the team. KKR will also have to look for a new skipper as Eoin Morgan has also been released.
Players retained
Andre Russell – 12 crores
Varun Chakravarthy – 8 crores
Venkatesh Iyer – 8 crores
Sunil Narine – 6 crores
Punjab Kings (PBKS) have only retained two players for the season. They are opener Mayank Agarwal and bowler Arshdeep Singh. The PBKS team might not have had the best of seasons in 2021 but these two players certainly played well. Mayank has been a part of the Punjab set up for a while now and Arshdeep’s brilliant performance in 2021 definitely earns him a place in the team for next season. The team did try to retain KL Rahul but the player reportedly refused to remain with the franchise so that his name could be in the mega auction. Surprising omissions include the likes of Ravi Bishnoi and Shahrukh Khan.
Players retained
Mayank Agarwal – 14 crore
Arshdeep Singh 4 crore
The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have retained their skipper Kane Williamson, and two uncapped Indian players in the form of Abdul Samad and Umran Malik. Much like KL Rahul for PBKS, spinner Rashid Khan has reportedly asked for his name to be in the mega auction and hence was not retained. David Warner reportedly had a tough relationship with the SRH board since the second half of the previous edition of the IPL, so his exclusion was not surprising either. The release of the likes of Bhuvneswar Kumar and T Natarajan, however, were something that fans did not expect.
Players retained
Kane Williamson – 14 crore
Abdul Samad – 4 crore
Umran Malik – 4 crore
The inaugural champions, Rajasthan Royals (RR) have retained three players, but none of them are Ben Stokes of Jofra Archer. The men in pink have retained Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Yashasvi played brilliantly in the second half of the previous season, thus rightfully earning a place in the team. The likes of Samson and Buttler were always crucial as well. However, the omissions of Stokes and Archer is quite surprising. Coach Kumar Sangakara mentioned availability and fitness as a couple of reasons for the decisions as both players have been out of cricketing action for quite a while now.
Players retained
Sanju Samson – 14 crore
Jos Buttler – 10 crore
Yashasvi Jaiswal – 4 crore
The Delhi Capitals (DC) have announced the retention of Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw, and Anrich Nortje. All four players have fared well for the Capitals last season and neither is a surprise choice for a retention. However, the omission of the vastly experienced Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, and Kagiso Rabada can raise a few eyebrows.
Players retained
Rishabh Pant – 16 crore
Axar Patel – 9 crore
Prithvi Shaw – 7.5 crore
Anrich Nortje – 6.5 crore
