IPL 2022: Irfan Pathan picks four players RCB should retain ahead of mega auction

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels that ex-skipper Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell will be certainly retained by the Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of the mega auctions before IPL 2022.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given the existing eight teams time until November 30 to name the players retained by them, while the two new teams, Lucknow and Ahmedabad, will then have a December 1 to 25 window to pick a maximum of three non-retained players before the mega auctions.

As per the BCCI released retention rules, the existing teams cannot retain more than three Indians (capped or uncapped) and two overseas players, while a team can also not retain more than two uncapped players. On the other hand, the new franchises can pick two Indians (capped or uncapped), one overseas and one uncapped player each.

Enlisting his choices during an interaction on Star Sports show Game Plan, Pathan said, “When it comes to the auction, they [RCB management] will be looking for a leader, that is one thing for sure. The players they will be looking for sure would be, at number one Virat Kohli; number two, Glenn Maxwell.

“The two other players that I would like to see getting retained – it’s slightly a tricky choice because they have Devdutt Padikkal, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj as well as Harshal Patel, who has been consistent for them – but out of these four, I would go for Chahal and Siraj because they can offer different bowling skills,” he said.

“He [Siraj] can be given the new ball, he can bowl the yorkers as well. Yes, Harshal Patel will be a big talking point, but if RCB thinks, Harshal has the skill to do really well at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, then maybe [he will be retained] in place of Siraj,” Pathan added.

The existing teams can spend a maximum of INR 42 crore on retained players. If a franchise retains four players, the deductions from the salary cap will be INR 16 crore for Player 1, INR 12 crore for Player 2, INR 8 crore for Player 3 and INR 6 crore for Player 4.

The deductions for three retentions will be INR 15 crore for Player 1, INR 11 crore for Player 2 and INR 7 crore for Player 3. In the case of two players being retained, the sums are INR 14 crore and INR 10 crore, while for a solitary player, INR 14 crore will be deducted from the auction purse.