IPL 2018: Top performers who missed out from a retention

Before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 retentions, there were several speculations surrounding the players who would be kept by their franchises. The event saw the teams retain cricketers of their choices. While there were players who were expectantly retained, the franchises sprang a few surprises by retaining uncapped players.

However, several players who have been an integral element of their franchises over the years have missed out. Nevertheless, all is not lost for the players as the auctions will be held a couple of weeks down the line on the 27 and 28 January. In our article, we take a look at five major performers who couldn’t find a place in the initial retentions.

#5 Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane has been an instrumental performer at the top order in the Indian Premier League. With several significant scores under his belt, he has grabbed the headlines on several occasions. He played for the Mumbai Indians to start his IPL campaign but didn’t get enough opportunities.

Thereafter he moved to Rajasthan Royals which launched his cricketing career significantly. However, after Rajasthan’s two-year suspension, the right-handed batsman was grabbed by Rising Pune Supergiant where he didn’t disappoint either.

Before the retentions, it was expected that Rahane would be retained by the Royals ahead of their comeback season. However, to his dismay, he wasn’t considered as the Royals went for only Steve Smith, the current Aussie skipper, who has been in prime form recently.