IPL: Team-wise one expensive player who might be released ahead of mega auction

The current season of the Indian Premier League is in full swing, and we are already 18 games into the tournament. There have been some scintillating performances and we’ve already seen two centuries from the bats of Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal while the likes of Harshal Patel and Andre Russell have picked up 5-wicket hauls.

RCB, CSK, and even DC have been the best teams while the others have struggled for consistency. While the team management’s main focus is on the ongoing season, they will also be thinking about the next season and the upcoming mega auction at the back of their mind.

How players perform this season will decide whether or not the franchises want to build the core of their team around them during the next cycle. According to the rules from the previous auction, each team can retain a maximum of two overseas players and a maximum of three capped Indian players either through pre-auction retention or using the Right to Match card. Based on those rules, there could be a few big names who will be released, and here’s a look at one such player from each team.

One player from each franchise who might be released in IPL mega auction

1. Chennai Super Kings – Krishnappa Gowtham

Krishnappa Gowtham was one of the biggest surprises from the auction for IPL 2021 as he was sold for a massive Rs.9.25 crore. Since they already had Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner while also having bought Moeen Ali by then, they didn’t really need to go so hard for a backup player.

He primarily bats down the order at No.7 or No.8 and is capable of chipping in with 2-3 overs on a regular basis. He had a brilliant campaign in 2018 for the Rajasthan Royals, but a poor form in 2019 meant that they decided to trade him to the Punjab Kings.

The Karnataka player didn’t have much of an impact in 2020 either as he played just two games. Thus, it was surprising that teams engaged in such a fierce bidding war for him. Given that Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, and the team, in general, is in good form, it is unlikely that they will change the combination any time soon. Thus, he won’t even get opportunities to try and prove himself, which in turn means that he could be released ahead of the mega auction.