From fans’ speculating about who will go for how much on social media to journalists and pundits trying to analyse what the strategy of the teams will be at the auction tables, the buzz around the IPL mega auctions is huge this time, as 590 short-listed players will be going under the hammer this time. It has also been learnt that the franchises have been conducting mock auctions so that they are prepared in every sense when the market for the biggest player sale opens.
The 8 older franchises were asked to retain not more than 4 players and release the rest ahead of the auction. For some teams like the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings this was a tough thing to do because over the years multiple players became synonymous with these teams, but some had to be let go of. The teams had to make some tough calls, while for others the choice was simple, because they were ready to build their teams afresh again.
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 1643706276000
TimesofIndia.com here takes a look at some of the biggest names in Indian cricket who were released by their franchises ahead of the mega auction:
Hardik Pandya (Release by Mumbai Indians – Signed by Gujarat Titans as their captain)
When Mumbai Indians opted not to retain swashbuckling all-rounder Hardik Pandya ahead of the auction, it came as quite a shock to the cricketing fraternity. It was in 2015 when the Mumbai franchise took Hardik under their wings. The 28-year-old, in his first auction, went unsold in 2014. But in 2015, Mumbai bought Hardik at a base price of INR 10 lakhs. From there on, Hardik never looked back and went on to become a household name. After an association of 7 years, this time, MI and Hardik parted ways as the franchise opted to retain — Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard as its four players. Hardik became synonymous with the Mumbai franchise and was part of four of their five IPL title wins. The fact that he has not been able to bowl at full tilt because of an injury is something that the MI bosses would have considered before letting him go. It’s for the same reason that he hasn’t played for the Indian National team in a while now. However, the Baroda all-rounder now embarks on a new journey as the newly-formed Gujarat Titans have roped him in for a whopping sum of INR 15 crore. Hardik will be leading the franchise and will also be looking to come up with some much-needed on-field performances after being sidelined from the national team after India’s T20 World Cup debacle last year. That he is an explosive player with the bat is not secret, but he was also shaping up to be a very effective medium pacer. The million dollar question is – will Hardik be able to bowl as well as he could earlier?
Hardik Pandya (PTI Photo)
Hardik Pandya overall numbers with the Mumbai Indians:
Matches – 92 | Runs – 1476 | Highest score – 91 | Batting average – 27.33 | Strike rate – 153.91 | Wickets – 42 | Economy – 9.06 | Best bowling figures – 3/20
Shreyas Iyer (Released by Delhi Capitals – In auction pool)
Stylish batsman Shreyas Iyer is a rising Indian star who will be part of the auction pool this year. The 27-year-old, was bought by Delhi Capitals (formally known as Delhi Daredevils) in 2015 and went on to lead the side in 2018, becoming the youngest captain to lead the Delhi franchise in IPL history. When Iyer was the captain at Delhi, he guided the team to the 2020 IPL final. But in 2021, when Iyer was sidelined from the competition due to a shoulder injury during the first leg of the season, the franchise handed the leadership responsibilities to Rishabh Pant and when Iyer returned for the second half in UAE, Delhi stuck with Rishabh as their skipper. Ahead of the auction, it was mutually decided between Iyer and Delhi, that they would not be renewing his contract. Iyer, who now goes into the auction will be on the radar of many franchises and is likely to be a big draw. The likes of Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders, who are in search of a skipper for their respective teams could potentially be willing to break the bank for Iyer. A dynamic and game changing batsman, a very capable leader and an advertiser’s delight, Iyer himself is looking for a leadership role and is expected to trigger a massive bidding war at the auction this time. He is part of the 10 player marque set at the auction, who will be brought out for bidding at the very beginning of day 1 of the auction this time.
Shreyas Iyer (Getty Images)
Shreyas Iyer’s overall numbers with the Delhi Capitals:
Matches – 87 | Runs – 2375 | Highest score – 96 | Batting average – 31.66 | Strike rate – 123.95
Base price for auction – INR 2 crore
Shikhar Dhawan (Released by Delhi Capitals – In auction pool)
Shikhar Dhawan had a brief one-year stint with the Delhi franchise back in 2008. Then in 2019, Delhi Capitals brought Dhawan back and the top-order batsman went on to play for the franchise for 3 seasons — 2019, 2020 and 2021. But ahead of the 2022 mega auction, Delhi opted not to retain Shikhar and the 36-year-old veteran will now be looking for a new home in the IPL. The experienced campaigner is someone that the franchises will be looking for to get their top-order sorted. The opener had a fantastic run in the last two editions of the IPL where he scored 618 and 587 runs in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Although Dhawan might not get a leadership role in a franchise, the experience and game awareness that Dhawan the batsman brings to the table is immense. Most teams would be vying to buy Dhawan as one of their regular openers. With 5784 runs, Dhawan is also second on the list of overall highest run getters in the history of the IPL, behind only Virat Kohli. He also has the second highest number of IPL half centuries under his belt, with 44, behind only the record holder, David Warner who has 50. Dhawan is also part of the 10 man marquee set who will be auctioned at the very beginning of day 1.
Shikhar Dhawan (PTI Photo)
Shikhar Dhawan’s numbers with Delhi Capitals:
Matches – 63 | Runs – 2066 | Highest score – 106* | Batting average – 38.98 | Strike rate – 131.00
Base price for auction – INR 2 crore
Ishan Kishan (Released by Mumbai Indians – In auction pool)
Mumbai Indians traditionally have had one of the best scouting structures in place in the IPL and have pinpointed and bought some of the best raw talents from across the country. And one such pick by Mumbai in 2018 was Ishan Kishan. After a two-year stint with the now defunct Gujarat Lions, Ishan was brought under the Mumbai umbrella when he was 19. Four years down the line, Ishan is now a well-known name and a rising star, who is also representing the country at the highest level. Mumbai nurtured Ishan over the last four years and today he is among the biggest emerging names in Indian cricket. There was no way Mumbai could have held on to Ishan, since they could retain only 4 players, but it would not be a surprise if MI aggressively bid for Ishan come auction day. The 23 year old top-order batsman and wicket-keeper is set to fetch a pretty expensive price tag at the auction table and will potentially again be one of those players who will trigger a bidding war.
Ishan Kishan (Image credit: Mumbai Indians)
Ishan Kishan’s numbers with Mumbai Indians:
Matches – 45 | Runs – 1133 | Highest score – 99 | Batting average – 31.47 | Strike rate – 138.50
Base price for auction – INR 2 crore
Yuzvendra Chahal (Released by Royal Challengers Bangalore – In auction pool)
The highest wicket-taker for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Yuzvendra Chahal was another big name that was not retained by his franchise ahead of this year’s mega auction. The 31-year-old had an 8-year long association with Bengaluru from 2014 to 2021 but the leggie was not in RCB’s retention scheme of things. According to some reports, the reason for Chahal not being retained by the franchise was a non-agreement over financial arrangements. Chahal, over the years, has built a reputation of being an intelligent bowler. A smart thinker and a good reader of the game, who is always up for any kind of challenge, Chahal will be on the radar of many franchises. With his on-field skill sets and quirky, marketable off-the-field demeanour, the 31-year-old will be a big attraction during the bidding process.
Yuzvendra Chahal (Image credit: RCB)
Yuzvendra Chahal’s numbers with Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Matches – 113 | Wickets – 139 | Economy – 7.58 | Strike rate – 17.4 | Best bowling figures – 4/25
Base price for auction – INR 2 crore
Shubman Gill (Released by Kolkata Knight Riders – Signed by Gujarat Titans)
During the last edition of the IPL, there were murmurs that Kolkata Knight Riders were looking to groom Shubman Gill as their next skipper. But when KKR retained Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, and Varun Chakravarthy and did not go for Shubman in the retention process, that raised quite a few eyebrows and laid all earlier speculations to rest. The 22-year-old stylish top-order batter is among India’s gen-next stars but has had his fair share of injury woes. And because of that he has suffered a lot, even at the national level. Shubman, who missed out on the tours of England and South Africa due to injury is currently on his road to recovery and in the upcoming 2022 IPL will be seen donning the jersey of the newly-formed Gujarat Titans. The youngster from Firozpur (Punjab) was a draft-pick for a sum of INR 8 crore ahead of the auction and is among the three players roped in by the new Ahmedabad franchise. Shubman will of course be one of the openers for the Gujarat Titans, who will be looking for the same kind of stability that he gave KKR at the top of the order, with a better strike rate.
Shubman Gill (IANS Photo)
Shubman Gill’s numbers with Kolkata Knight Riders:
Matches – 58 | Runs – 1417 | Highest score – 76 | Batting average – 31.48 | Strike rate – 123.00
Suresh Raina (Released by Chennai Super Kings – In auction pool)
‘Mr. IPL’ Suresh Raina served in the Chennai Super Kings ranks for 12 seasons. The 35-year-old is among the elite few who, in the history of IPL have had the longest associations with a single franchise. Apart from the 2016 and 2017 editions when the Chennai franchise was suspended, Raina served for CSK from 2008-15 and then between 2018 and 21. At one time, Raina was the highest run getter overall in the IPL charts, before Virat Kohli overtook him. Raina is currently in fourth place, behind Virat, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. Chinna Thala’s journey with the Yellow Brigade ended this year when the four time champions chose to not retain him and instead invested in youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad apart from MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali. Raina had a stupendous journey in Chennai as he was one of the prominent stars of the side for over a decade and synonymous with the men in yellow. Part of 4 title wins, Raina has a rich legacy in Chennai and it has been etched in the history books. But the stylish left-hander now, after quite some time, finds himself in the auction pool. There have been talks that the newly-formed Lucknow Super Giants might rope in the veteran via the auction route to bring some local-boy touch, but there will be quite a few other teams as well that might look for the experience and expertise that Raina possesses. A very good fielder, a cracking batsman when in form and capable of being part of the core leadership group of a team, along with being a social media draw and a marketable name, Raina might still find himself becoming hot property at the upcoming auction.
Suresh Raina (AFP Photo)
Suresh Raina’s numbers with Chennai Super Kings:
Matches – 176 | Runs – 4687 | Highest score – 100* | Batting average – 32.32 | Strike rate – 136.88
Base price for auction – INR 2 crore
Krunal Pandya (Released by Mumbai Indians – In auction pool)
The Pandya brothers – A phrase we heard so many times over the years when commentators and analysts were talking about the Mumbai Indians. But now, both brothers have been released by MI. While Hardik is now with the Ahmedabad franchise, Krunal is looking for a new home. The Baroda all-rounder, like his brother, was spotted by the Mumbai scouts. After Hardik was picked by the franchise in 2015, Krunal also joined the MI forces in 2016 and was part of three IPL title wins with MI. Both the Pandya brothers were the darlings of the team and were a major part in making what Mumbai Indians is as a franchise today. Krunal, just like his brother, brought the all-round option to the team — batting, bowling and fielding — giving the perfect balance to the side. But now with Krunal finding himself in the auction pool after 6 years it will be interesting to see which franchises bid for him. With brother Hardik being the captain of Gujarat Giants it is expected that the newly-formed franchise could be a team which will bid aggressively for Krunal, though he will be on the radar of many other teams too. He is not part of the marquee set, but is in the highest base price category of Rs 2 Crore for the auction this time.
Krunal Pandya (Twitter Photo)
Krunal Pandya’s numbers with Mumbai Indians:
Matches – 84 | Runs – 1143 | Highest score – 86 | Batting average – 22.86 | Strike rate – 138.54 | Wickets – 51 | Economy – 7.36 | Best bowling figures – 3/14
Base price for auction – INR 2 crore
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