IPL 2022 retention: Jadeja CSK’s first pick, MSD retained too

The IPL 2022 retention list for the eight franchises was made official on Tuesday evening. Some retentions were along expected lines, while a few big players like KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya and Rashid Khan have been released by their franchises. There was no surprise in the defending Indian Premier League champions Chennai Super Kings retaining their captain MS Dhoni. At the same time, though, the CSK retentions came with a subplot.

During a conversation with this paper on Tuesday afternoon, a CSK insider said they have their succession plan ready, as and when Dhoni decides to call it quits. The franchise’s retention list of four players dropped a hint about the way ahead. Ravindra Jadeja was their No. 1 retainee for Rs 16 crore followed by Dhoni for Rs 12 crore, decided with the skipper’s consent. Dhoni is in the autumn of his career, but as CSK supremo and former BCCI president N Srinivasan has time and again mentioned, he is part of the family, a relationship that transcends just donning the yellow shirt and leading the team.

At a CSK felicitation last week, Dhoni confirmed that he would play his last T20 game in Chennai. “I have always planned my cricket. My last ODI that I played in India was in Ranchi. Hopefully my last T20 will be in Chennai. Whether it’s next year or in five years’ time, I don’t know,” he had said.

Jadeja’s steady rise as an allrounder has made him undroppable both for his country and franchise. Through his 227 runs and 13 wickets in the last IPL, the southpaw yet again attested his value as a player. He has been part of the CSK leadership group and at 33, remains one of the fittest cricketers in the country. The retention list pointed towards he being the chosen one, especially after Suresh Raina’s departure.

The opener was the Punjab Kings captain last season. In fact, after joining the franchise as their director of cricket operations two years ago, Anil Kumble had promoted Rahul to lead the team and as the former India leg-spinner said on Star Sports, the team management wanted Rahul to be the “fulcrum” of the side but eventually “respected his wish” to go to the auction pool. Rahul was the third-highest run-getter in the IPL last term, with a tally of 626 runs. In his absence, Kumble mentioned about giving Mayank Agarwal the leadership role, one of the two players whom the franchise retained for Rs 12 crore. Rahul, meanwhile, is said to be a prize catch for the new Lucknow franchise before the auction.

Rashid Khan’s departure probably highlighted the current state of affairs at Sunrisers Hyderabad. A fall-out with David Warner saw the franchise’s title-winning captain’s exit a few months ago. But Rashid could well be a bigger loss; SRH’s most important bowler with the best economy rate, 6.33, in IPL history. The official word from the team was that they “wanted” to retain the leg-spinner, but “accepted his wish” to go to the auction. Grapevine has it that, Rashid, too, is eyeing a new franchise.

Only a few days ago, on the sidelines of a golf event in Kolkata, the legendary Kapil Dev was talking about how it wouldn’t be right to call Hardik an allrounder at the moment, as he has all but stopped bowling in competitive cricket. Injuries have severely restricted his bowling time of late. He didn’t bowl at all in the last IPL and scored 127 runs in 12 matches. According to a BCCI source, Hardik is currently doing his rehabilitation after the T20 World Cup. Mumbai Indians didn’t retain the 28-year-old.

Delhi Capitals didn’t retain their former captain Shreyas Iyer, as the franchise chair Parth Jindal spoke about the difficult decision. “You bring on players, groom them, they go on to play for the country and then you lose them. It’s not fair. I think the BCCI needs to have a relook (at the retention policy and auction),” Jindal said, while talking to the host broadcaster.

Only about six months ago, Venkatesh Iyer was languishing in relative obscurity. A terrific second half in the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders took him to the India T20I team followed by the IPL retention for Rs 8 crore.

CSK Players Retained: MS Dhoni (12 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (16 crore), Ruturaj Gaikwad (6 crore), Moeen Ali (8 crore) – 48 crore left at auction

KKR Players Retained: Sunil Narine (6 cr), Andre Russell (12 cr), Varun Chakravarthy (8 cr), Venkatesh Iyer (8 cr)– 48 crore left at auction

DC Players Retained: Rishabh Pant (16 cr), Axar Patel (9 cr), Prithvi Shaw (7.5 cr), Anrich Nortje (6.5 cr) – 48 crore left at auction

RR Players Retained: Sanju Samson (14 cr), Jos Buttler (10 cr), Yashasvi Jaiswal (4 cr) – 62 crore left at auction

SRH Players Retained: Kane Williamson (14 cr), Umran Malik (4 cr), Abdul Samad (4 cr) – 68 crore left at auction

PBKS Players Retained: Mayank Agarwal (12 cr), Arshdeep Singh (4 cr) – 72 crore left at auction

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Indian Premier League IPL IPL 2022 retention

IPL 2022 retention: Jadeja CSK’s first pick, MSD retained too

🔴 IPL 2022 retention: KL Rahul, Rashid Khan, Hardik Pandya let go as KKR retain Venkatesh Iyer.