Yesterday marked the day when all the IPL franchises declared the players they would retain for the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League.
While some names were expected, some were not. Some teams retained a couple of players, some retained four players. However, several big names were not retained by their teams. Today, we will pick the retention missing XI.
1) Faf du Plessis
An excellent representative of the franchise, Faf du Plessis was more than phenomenal during his time with the Chennai Super Kings. After MS Dhoni, it is safe to say that it was this man who carried CSK's image in the best possible way.
He had the form on his side but unfortunately, his age and the fact that he is an overseas player made it impossible for CSK to retain him. Which jersey do you think will he be wearing next season?
2) KL Rahul
As mentioned already by Anil Kumble, Punjab Kings wanted to retain KL Rahul but the player wasn't keen to stay and wanted to feature in the mega auction. Likely to be one of the highest-paid players in IPL 2022, some concerns are looming over his future in the tournament as well.
There have been reports that suggest that KL was in talks with the newly announced Lucknow franchise despite still being a Punjab player. Let's see how this tale turns out!
3) David Warner
Could you imagine the highest run-getter of the T20 World Cup 2021 and being a part of the winning side still not ensuring a retention spot for Warner?
Well, that's the truth. Don't know what's up with the Sunrisers Hyderabad owners but it seems that SRH's and Warner's poor IPL 2021 performance had convinced them about this decision and even a spectacular world cup couldn't change their mind. It will be intriguing to see where Warner ends up considering his explosive batting up top.
4) Rashid Khan
Once again, it's the Sunrisers Hyderabad owners who come under the scanner as they didn't retain the Best T20 bowler in the world currently.
Rashid Khan has been one of the most consistent bowlers in the T20s throughout 4-5 years but still, it wasn't possible to keep hold of him. Will he be picked in one of the new IPL sides directly?
5) Shikhar Dhawan
A player who scored over 600 runs in the IPL 2021 was dropped from the T20 World Cup squad, and now, he is not retained by his Ipl side too.
However, we know the character Dhawan possesses and despite some tough times in his life at the moment, it will be great to see Dhawan bounce back in a new jersey!
6) Hardik Pandya
Only one thing has been the root cause of all problems in Hardik's professional life and that is his fitness. Pandya was heavily criticized for his performances in the T20 World Cup.
With a difficult retention strategy, Mumbai Indians chose an aged Kieron Pollard over Pandya and the reason for this was the uncertainty that Pandya carries.
Will Pandya return fully fit for IPL 2022?
7) Krunal Pandya
Yes, both the brothers were not retained as Mumbai Indians went ahead with Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Krunal didn't have the best of seasons last term and this has been incessant for a while now. It will be very tricky for Krunal to become a first-choice player in an IPL franchise and it will be intriguing for the viewers to see how it pans out.
8) Devdutt Padikkal
Like it or not, it feels like Devdutt Padikkal was the most hard-done-by this retention rule as he has barely done anything wrong since his Ipl debut.
He is not at his best at the moment but he still had some exceptional performances in the last season too. Padikkal is the perfect prospect for any IPL side and his selection in one of the IPL franchises seems very likely.
9) Eoin Morgan
The English skipper did a brilliant job as a captain since he was given the role but his primary job as a batsman looked very shaky. Morgan's batting quality hasn't been up to the mark like it was once and this was one of the reasons why he was rightfully not retained.
However, in a new team, in a new season, with a role that may not be of a skipper, we will be waiting to see the classic Morgan break from his shackles.
10) Yuzvendra Chahal
Chahal went through a tough time when he was dropped from the T20 World Cup squad. However, he bounced back with a great IPL 2021 in the second phase and proved that he is still a player who can pick wickets.
Chahal was also not retained by RCB but the spinner looks good to continue in the IPL. He had once expressed his desire to play under MS Dhoni at CSK, will we see it happening this season?
11) Kagiso Rabada
Kagiso Rabada was another player who did a wonderful job but wasn't retained only because there were limitations on the retention spots.
Surprising? The two Proteas were in great form but so unfortunate to miss out. However, we are quite hopeful that we will see both Rabada and Faf in the Ipl next season.
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