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 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.