IPL 2022: Best XI of released players

Amidst all the hype for the upcoming IPL 2022 mega auction, all the teams have announced their retention lists. It includes several seasoned campaigners, as well as IPL legends. However, at the same time, several youngsters and newbies have been backed by several franchises too. The shocking part about this is the fact that they were retained ahead of several greats of the Indian T20 league. While some players wanted to be released on their own, the others were released as a part of the auction strategy of their respective teams. Irrespective of the reasons, seeing some players go down the hammer will be disheartening for their fans. However, some of the players who haven’t been retained are so good, that one could make a playing XI out of them. So which are those individuals who would feature in the best XI of players released ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction? Best XI of released players ahead of IPL mega auction 1) KL Rahul (WK) KL Rahul. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) KL Rahul is unarguably the most shocking name among the list of players who haven’t been retained. He has by far been the best IPL batter since 2018. As a matter of fact, he has single-handedly won several games for the Punjab Kings. After winning the Orange Cap in 2020, the Karnataka batter was the third-highest run-scorer in 2021. The fact that the opener himself wants to go back into the auction is an absolute pity for the Mohali-based franchise. Not only has he been one of India’s best batters, but he has also been one of the world’s best batters in the shortest format of the game. Add to that his excellent skills with the gloves, and therefore the 29-year-old shall be the keeper of this XI as well. 2) David Warner David Warner. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) It is safe to say that David Warner is one of the greatest players to have played in the Indian T20 league. Not only is he one of the best batters in IPL history, but he is also one of the best captains in the toughest T20 league. Under his leadership, the Sunrisers Hyderabad went on to win their first and only title in 2016. He has been synonymous with the orange army. The Aussie opener has been representing the Hyderabad- based franchise since 2014 and has been their key player for a long time. Thus, not retaining him is a despicable decision, to say the least. However, as they say, one’s loss is another’s gain. As several teams are looking for a new captain, the former SRH skipper could very well be on their radar. Besides, his performance in the recently concluded ICC T20 WC 2021 clearly showed that he still has a lot left in him. 3) Shubman Gill Shubman Gill. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Shubman Gill is one of the most talented youngsters going around. He is considered the future of Indian cricket. While he may not be the best power-hitter, the top-order batter can play the role of an anchor to perfection. Everybody, including the KKR fans, were expecting Gill to be retained by the Kolkata-based franchise. However, in a shocking turn of events, they decided against it as their management ended up retaining Venkatesh Iyer instead. This came as a shocker as the Punjab batter was expected to lead the Knights in the near future. Moreover, he is someone who has age on his side and thus, can be invested upon. Hence, several KKR fans would hope and pray that their team gets him back in the auction. 4) Shreyas Iyer (C) Shreyas Iyer. (Photo Source: Twitter/IPL) Shreyas Iyer has been a silent assassin in the toughest T20 league in the world. More often than not, he has gone about his job in a rather clinical fashion. The Mumbai batter is currently one of the emerging superstars in Indian cricket. Moreover, he has been one of the most loyal servants of the Delhi Capitals. During his tenure as a captain, he led the franchise to the second Qualifier in 2019, he also lead them to the final in 2020. Thus, he has played a major role in the resurgence of the franchise. Besides, he has been reliable with the bat as well. So far in his IPL career, the 26-year old has scored 2375 runs in 87 games. Thus, he will be the captain of this XI 5) Ishan Kishan Ishan Kishan. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Ishan Kishan is one of the most talented Indian cricketers going around. He is a good player of both, spin as well as pace. Over the years, he has worked on his consistently as well. During his time at the Mumbai Indians, the franchise continuously backed him. Thus, not retaining him came as a surprise to one and all. Besides, with age on his side, he could have been groomed as the next captain of the side. Add to that his abilities as a keeper. Besides, he can bat anywhere in the top order. Thus, letting him go might just prove to be a blunder. 6) Hardik Pandya Hardik Pandya. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Hardik Pandya has been one of India’s best all-rounders for quite a while now. A pace all-rounder, who can hit the ball a long way as well. Thus, the charismatic cricketer is a complete package, as a matter of fact, MI played a huge role in his success. Over the years, he has been one of the key players of the franchise. Despite all his exploits in the past, the Mumbai-based franchise decided to release him. His injuries didn’t help his cause either. The 28-year-old has scored 1476 runs in 85 IPL games, at an average and strike rate of 27.33 and 153.91 respectively. He has also picked 42 wickets in 60 innings, at an economy rate of 9.07. 7) Rashid Khan Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: Instagram) The outrage on social media by the fans of SRH, for not retaining Rashid Khan, is justified. The decision to release him is baffling, to say the least. Over the years, the leggie has been one of their biggest match-winners. So much so that the Afghanistan cricketer has been an integral part of the franchise. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to call him the most valuable T20 player at the moment. Not only does he get wickets, but he has also been one of the most economical bowlers as well. Even the best of the best batters have struggled to pick his googlies. The 23-year-old has picked 93 wickets in 76 IPL games so far. His bowling average and strike rate are 20.56 and 19.48 respectively. 8) Jofra Archer Jofra Archer. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Jofra Archer is currently one of the best bowlers. He is an asset to any team he plays for. Not only can he bowl the difficult overs, but he also has an amazing hitting ability. Add to that his sensational fielding skills, thus, he is a complete package. However, the English pacer’s USP is to hit the deck hard. On his day, he can win a game on his own. Besides, the last time he played in the IPL, he was the MVP of the tournament. Despite being so good in the thirteenth edition of the league, the Rajasthan Royals decided to release him. Not retaining an X factor like him could prove to be a huge blunder. However, several teams would now have their eyes on the speedster. 9) Kagiso Rabada Kagiso Rabada. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Kagiso Rabada is arguably one of the best pacers of the current era. Over the years, he has been one of the key bowlers for the Delhi-based team. Besides, the Proteas pacer has also been one of their most successful bowlers ever. In 2019, he was the second-highest wicket-taker of the season, he then backed it up by winning the Purple Cap in 2020. Despite all his contributions to the franchise, the Pant-lead side decided to retain Nortje ahead of him. Nevertheless, various other teams need a world-class seamer like him. Thus, he is expected to go for big bucks in the upcoming mega auction. Unless, of course, Delhi decides to buy him back, which is possible considering his stature. 10) Deepak Chahar Deepak Chahar. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) Over the last few seasons, Deepak Chahar has been one of the best Indian pacers in the IPL. His ability to swing the new ball is praiseworthy. The seamer even managed to win the trust of the CSK skipper MS Dhoni. Irrespective of him having a good day or not, he can always guarantee his captain economical overs in his first spell. Add to that his batting abilities as well, thus, he went on to become one of the key players of the Dhoni-lead franchise. Yet, the Super Kings decided to release him. As Indian pacers are always in demand in every auction, one shouldn’t be surprised if he fetches a hefty price in the mega auction. Last but not the least, he’s still relatively young and has age on his side. 11) Yuzvendra Chahal Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Unarguably one of India’s best spinners currently, Chahal has been synonymous with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Despite playing most of his games at the Chinnaswamy stadium, which is batting-friendly, he has always been amongst the wickets. Thus, RCB fans were left in shock when the franchise didn’t have him on their retention list. Owing to his reputation, getting him back in the mega auction is going to be next to impossible. Getting wickets in the middle-overs is one of the biggest demands in the shortest format of the game, and he does that with perfection. The leggie has been an IPL veteran. In the 114 games he has played so far, the 31-year old has picked 139 wickets. The fact that his economy rate is less than 8 (7.59), despite bowling in relatively flat decks, is commendable.