IPL 2022: Team-wise players who could be retained ahead of mega auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is unarguably the biggest T20 league in the world. Thus, the best of the best players often prefer playing it. This in return ensures that the auction before every season is exciting as the fans get a chance to see their favorite players go under the hammer. 

It gets even more exciting when it is a mega auction as it ensures that all the teams have to rebuild themselves. However, it is the upcoming IPL 2022 mega auctions that have managed to grab the interest of every cricket fan.

The eight old franchises can reportedly retain four players ahead of the 2022 auction. They are allowed to retain two Indian players and two overseas players or three Indian players and one overseas player at most. So, which are those players who will be retained by their respective teams? 

Here is a look at team-wise players who could be retained ahead of the mega auction:

1) Chennai Super Kings

The defending champions have a relatively simple journey when it comes to choosing which players to retain ahead of the mega auction. As they have a lot of players who are on the wrong side of their 30s, the Super Kings can afford to let them go to the auction pool. This is mainly because they need to build a team for the future and most senior players are far past their peak.

However, irrespective of all this, CSK will retain MS Dhoni. He is the face of the franchise. Besides, it doesn’t look like he has any plans of retiring from the IPL.

The franchise would retain Ruturaj Gaikwad because he is young and was instrumental in their road to becoming the champions in this season. Ravindra Jadeja is a vital cog in the CSK setup and thus, he would be another sure shot retention. Last but not the least, the former Proteas captain Faf Du Plessis would mostly be the overseas player who they choose to retain

Expected Retentions: MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf Du Plessis

2) Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians are arguably the greatest IPL team of all time. One of the major reasons for their success has been their core group of players. Thus, they would retain their core.

Their skipper Rohit Sharma would be the first name on their retention list. Jasprit Bumrah has been one of the most valuable players for quite a long time and thus, he would be another player MI would love to retain. However, it is Pollard who has won the five-time champions in the big games and he only seems to be getting better with age.

Thus, retaining the current ODI and T20I skipper of West Indies is an absolute no-brainer. Now the last retention is a tricky one as MI has a lot of match-winners on their side. Although the likes of Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Quinton De Kock and Krunal Pandya have been superb, MI would still retain Surkyakumar Yadav owing to his impact and ability.

Expected Retentions: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard

3) Royal Challengers Bangalore

IPL 2021 was another “So close yet so far” season for RCB. Despite having a team filled with stars, they are yet to win an IPL trophy. However, they can get it right this time if they manage to retain a few of their established players as well as purchase a new set of impactful stars in the upcoming mega auction.

First things first, Virat Kohli already said that he is going to remain in RCB despite relinquishing the captaincy and thus, the batting maestro will be the first name to be retained. His partner in crime AB de Villiers is another player who will not be released at any cost.

As Yuzvendra Chahal has been one of the best performers for the side, there is no way that he will be thrown into the auction pool either. Thus, Bangalore will retain him too. The second overseas player they would retain is Glenn Maxwell as the “Big Show” was superb for them in this season and already has a special liking to this franchise.

Expected Retentions: Virat Kohli, Yuzvendra Chahal,  Glenn Maxwell

4) Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad is one team that will be confused going into the mega auction. Picking just a few players from a set of world-class cricketers is going to be a difficult task. Besides, they won’t be retaining David Warner, who has been the face of their team for all these seasons.

Thus, they would see Kane Williamson as the new face of their team and would retain him. However, it is Rashid Khan who has been one of their best performers. Retaining him would probably be the first thing the SRH management will decide to do during their first meeting for IPL 2022.

T Natrajan is one of the most talented Indian seamers going around. Besides, he is someone the orange army would like to invest in. As harsh as it may sound, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been injury prone and hasn’t even been at his best and thus, retaining him might not be a good idea

Expected Retentions: Kane Williamson, Rashid Khan, T Natrajan

5) Delhi Capitals

The Delhi Capitals have been one of the most improved sides of late. The talented players in their squad have always stepped up whenever necessary. However, with the mega auction coming up, they will have to bid adieu to most of them.

Nevertheless, they can still build a new side around their core. Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant have been the face of the franchise and thus, DC wouldn’t want to let go of either of them. This solves their captaincy issue as both of them are proven leaders for the franchise.

Kagiso Rabada is a class act and thus, he would be their first and only overseas player they retain. This is mainly because he has been one of the best player in the side since 2019. Thus, one wouldn’t want their best player to leave their side.

Expected Retentions: Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada

6) Kolkata Knight Riders

The Kolkata Knight Riders have a lot of match winners. A proper strategy is required to decipher the best retention options. Another important point is that none of their retained players are going to lead the side.

However, Shubman Gill is a potential captaincy option for the future and his talent forces the Knights to retain him. The same is the case with Varun Chakravarthy. The mystery spinner is yet to be decoded and thus, the best option is to retain him.

When it comes to their overseas players, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have stood out from the rest. These two Caribbean all-rounders have been the MVPs of the franchise for a long time. Thus, the KKR management wouldn’t want to risk releasing them into the auction pool

Expected Retentions: Shubhman Gill, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine

7) Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals have been one of the most underperforming teams since the last few seasons. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t have good players. Several world-class players from their side can be retained ahead of the mega auction in 2022.

Among these, two names that come to everyone’s mind are Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer. The two Englishmen have been absolute match-winners for the Royals. Archer was the MVP in the IPL 2020 seaso.

Their current captain Sanju Samson has been a regular feature in the RR team. Thus, he’s certainly going to be retained by them. As retaining these three is going to cost them a lot, it seems highly unlikely that the Royals would want to retain another player and decrease their purse for the upcoming auction.

Expected Retentions: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer

8) Punjab Kings

Retaining their players is going to be tricky for the Punjab Kings. They don’t have too many options. Besides, most of their big names haven’t lived up to their reputation.

Most of the players who played well for them are young and inexperienced and retaining them might be a huge gamble. Thus, like every auction, Punjab would go all out in the upcoming mega auction. However, their skipper KL Rahul has been breathing fire for the past few IPL seasons and thus they should retain him without a doubt.

The second player they would retain is his close friend and opening partner, Mayank Agarwal. Both form a superb pair at the top of the order. Last but not the least, despite him being inconsistent, Nicholas Pooran would be their first and only overseas retention owing to his abilities and potential.

Expected Retentions: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran