All eight existing franchises have revealed the complete set of players they have retained for Indian Premier League 2022. The franchises were permitted to retain a maximum of four players. Further, unlike 2018, there was no Right To Match (RTM) card available this time. The BCCI had scrapped the concept to give a level-playing field to new franchises of Ahmedabad and Lucknow.
The two new franchises can now pick three players each from the available talent pool of unretained players. They have a purse of INR 33 crores each. However, they have to wait till the BCCI settle the ownership dispute of the Ahmedabad franchise. The board has formed a neutral panel to investigate CVC Capital owing to its association with a betting company.
Here's the list of players retained by each franchise:
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Players retained: Virat Kohli (15 Cr), Glenn Maxwell (11 Cr), Mohammed Siraj (7 Cr)
There was little doubt over the retention of Kohli and Maxwell. Bangalore added Mohammed Siraj to the list of retained cricketers. Despite the many rumours, there was no place for Yuzvendra Chahal and Devdutt Padikkal.
Mumbai Indians
Players retained: Rohit Sharma (16 Cr), Jasprit Bumrah (12 Cr), Suryakumar Yadav (8 Cr), Kieron Pollard (6 Cr)
Mumbai will probably take a hit during the mega auction. It has taken a lot of hard work to build a squad this formidable, one that has served them well so far. They will now have to start afresh. They retained Bumrah, probably the easiest choice of all, along with Rohit, Suryakumar, and Pollard.
Rajasthan Royals
Players retained: Sanju Samson (14 Cr), Jos Buttler (10 Cr), Yashasvi Jaiswal (4 Cr)
Rajasthan retained Samson, Buttler and Jaiswal. They let go of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Liam Livingstone, and their most expensive cricketer, Chris Morris. Jaiswal formed an explosive opening pair with Evin Lewis.
Punjab Kings
Players retained: Mayank Agarwal (12 Cr), Arshdeep Singh (4 Cr)
Punjab decided to keep Agarwal and an uncapped bowler, in Arshdeep. K.L. Rahul has parted ways with them and, according to some reports, he is likely to join Lucknow. Surprisingly, they did not retain Ravi Bishnoi.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Players retained: Kane Williamson (14 Cr), Abdul Samad (4 Cr), Umran Malik (4 Cr)
Sunrisers Hyderabad released Rashid Khan, who reportedly wanted to be the first retention of the franchise. Other than Williamson, they have also retained Samad and Malik.
Chennai Super Kings
Players retained: Ravindra Jadeja (16 Cr), M.S. Dhoni (12 Cr), Moeen Ali (8 Cr), Ruturaj Gaikwad (6 Cr)
Barring Faf du Plessis, the defending champion Chennai Super Kings have retained a core group of players. Dhoni, Jadeja, Gaikwad and Moeen are the four players to be retained by the franchise.
Delhi Capitals
Players retained: Rishabh Pant (16 Cr), Axar Patel (12 Cr), Prithvi Shaw (8 Cr), Anrich Nortje (6 Cr)
Unless they are picked by new franchises, Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan and Kagiso Rabada will go under the hammer for the IPL 2022. Delhi Capitals have persisted with Pant, Shaw, Axar and Nortje.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Players retained: Andre Russell (12 Cr), Varun Chakravarthy (8 Cr), Sunil Narine (6 Cr), Venkatesh Iyer (8 Cr)
Venkatesh, Narine, Russell, and Chakravarthy will stay at Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL 2022. Eoin Morgan's stint with the franchise is all but over.