The highly anticipated retention list by the Indian Premier League franchises has been released on November 30. Several big names, who have made a name for themselves in the IPL and carried their respective teams to the glory have been released by the franchises. The upcoming mega auction, which is reportedly scheduled to take place later this year or early next year will be intriguing to witness. The IPL franchises had retained 27 cricketers, including seven overseas players and four uncapped players. Let’s have a look at the retention list of the IPL franchises:
Mumbai Indians:
The five-time IPL champions had retained their skipper Rohit Sharma (Rs 16 crore), Jasprit Bumrah (Rs 12 crore), Suryakumar Yadav (Rs 8 crore) and their most experienced player Kieron Pollard (Rs 6 crore). The likes of Hardik Pandya, Trent Boult and Ishan Kishan were released, which sent shockwaves across the MI fanbase.
Chennai Super Kings:
The IPL 14 champions, Chennai Super Kings have retained their prime all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (16 crore), captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (12 crore), all-rounder Moeen Ali (Rs 8 crore) and the Orange Cap holder Ruturaj Gaikwad (Rs 6 crore). The top-order batsman who carried CSK’s batting line-up for several years Suresh Raina along with Dj Bravo and Faf du Plessis have been released.
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
One of the most popular teams of the Indian marquee T20 domestic tournament, Royal Challengers Bangalore retained their former skipper Virat Kohli (Rs 15 crore), Glenn Maxwell (Rs 11 crore) and Mohammed Siraj (Rs 7 crore). The Indian captain took a pay cut from 17 crore to 15 crore. The release of Yuzvendra Chahal had puzzled the fans and supporters of the team. The Purple Cap holder Harshal Patel, who was the star performer for the Bangalore-based franchise in IPL 14 was also released.
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
The 2018 IPL winners, Sunrisers Hyderabad had a couple of surprising retention. They retained the Kiwi captain Kane Williamson (Rs 14 crore), youngsters Abdul Samad (Rs 4 crore) and Umran Malik (Rs 4 crore). The release of one of the greatest spin bowlers of the shortest format, Rashid Khan had the social media buzzing. The cricketing giants, David Warner, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jonny Bairstow were also released.
Kolkata Knight Riders:
The IPL team owned by the Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, Kolkata Knight Riders had put their faith in their all-rounders. They have retained Andre Russell (Rs 12 crore), Venkatesh Iyer (Rs 8 crore), Varun Chakravarthy (Rs 8 crore) and Sunil Narine (Rs 6 crore). The skipper that led KKR to the IPL 14 final Eoin Morgan has been released along with Dinesh Karthik.
Delhi Capitals:
One of the most consistent teams in the past three years Delhi Capitals had a few big names in their cattle, which they had to release. DC’s retention list includes their wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant (Rs 16 crore), Axar Patel (Rs 9 crore), opener Prithvi Shaw (Rs 7.5 crore) and Anrich Nortje (Rs 6.5 crore). The Delhi-based franchise’s prime pacer Kagiso Rabada has been released along with the attacking Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan.
Rajasthan Royals:
The champions of the inaugural edition of the IPL, Rajasthan Royals had retained their skipper Sanju Samson (Rs 14 crore), the star English batsman Jos Bulter (Rs 10 crore) and rising Indian cricketer Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rs 4 crore). The prime England cricketers Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes have been released, which will be big shoes to fill for Rajasthan.
Punjab Kings:
Following KL Rahul’s intentions of entering the mega auctions, Punjab Kings is bound to see a new skipper. They have retained their promising opener Mayank Agarwal (Rs 12 crore) and young Arshdeep Singh (Rs 4 crore).