OPINION
Follow UsThe franchises have been at it for several years now but every year, the process of retention poses a new daunting headache. There are several franchises who would want to rebuild from a minor core.
Unlike previous years, there are ten teams now, the competition has gone from strength to strength. So, here is part two of the two pieces that we at Cricket.com are doing, ahead of the deadline day (5 PM IST on November 15) for the franchises to announce their retained players, before the IPL Auction in Kochi.
Click here for Part 2 of this article
Chennai Super Kings
Purse Available: 2.95 crores + 5 crores (Added to franchise purse by IPL) = 7.95 crores
Players that can be released: Robin Uthappa (2 crore), Chris Jordan (3.60 crore), KM Asif (20 lakh), Narayan Jagadeesan (20 lakh), Matheesh Pathirana/Adam Milne (1.9 crore), Subranshu Senapati (20 lakh), Dwayne Bravo (4.40 crore)
Where they need strengthening: CSK did miss Deepak Chahar but it wasn’t entirely their bowling which affected their season. It was their batting. In fact, CSK had the second worst-batting unit in the competition, only behind Mumbai Indians. With Robin Uthappa too announcing retirement, CSK would be looking in the market to target a good Indian option, who can prove to be expensive.
Another aspect that stung CSK was their death-over bowling. While they would want to keep the likes of Jordan and Bravo, their combined purse value of 8 crores would be tempting. Given that the likes of Sam Curran are going to be available at the auction, moving the money would be a good option.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Purse Available: 10 lakh + 5 crores = 5.10 crores
Players that can be released: Priyam Garg (20 lakh), Sean Abbott (2.4 crores), Ravikumar Samarth (20 lakh), Romario Shepherd (7.75 crores), Kane Williamson (14 crores)
Where they need strengthening: SRH majorly were hit at the top of the order, with the presence of their skipper Kane Williamson. His strike-rate in the powerplay was 76.4. With the likes of Rahul Tripathi in the team, and Glenn Phillips in the reserves, freeing up that spot could help the franchise. It will release 14 crores.
On the other hand, Shepherd averaged 32.7 with the ball in 2022 IPL, and with options available, the franchise would want to free their purse as much as possible. If they decide to do away with Williamson, Aiden Markram would be the prime candidate to lead the side.
Mumbai Indians
Purse Available: 10 lakh + 5 crores = 5.10 crores
Players that can be released: Kieron Pollard (6 crores), Basil Thampi (30 lakh), Murugan Ashwin (1.60 crores), Tymal Mills (1.5 crores), Rahul Buddhi (20 lakh), Mohd Arshad Khan (20 lakh), Fabian Allen (75 lakh), Jaydev Unadkat (1.3 crores)
Traded: ins: Jason Behrendorff (75 lakh)
Where they need strengthening: Everything that could go wrong went wrong for Mumbai Indians. But despite that, they have a stable core set for the next few seasons, with the success of Tilak Varma and Dewald Brevis. Last season, there was a hint from the franchise that they could release their talisman Pollard. Mumbai had the second worst bowling unit, which could be bolstered by the return of Jofra Archer.
Having said that, Mumbai would be looking to strengthen their batting, which was one of their weak points, with a run-rate of just 8.2 with the bat. The release of Fabian Allen, Tymal Mills, Basil Thampi and Murugan Ashwin might help them get the players they need.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Purse Available: 2.3 crores + 5 crores = 7.3 crores
Players that can be released: Anuj Rawat, Sherfane Rutherford, Aneeshwar Gautam, Siddarth Kaul
Traded: outs: Jason Behrendorff (75 lakh)
Where they need strengthening: With Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli at the top of the order, RCB need some explosive players in the middle-order to compensate for the lack of brute force. The franchise would be looking in the market for an explosive Indian batter to partner alongside Glenn Maxwell and Rajat Patidar.
As usual, RCB would be also looking at options to cover for their death-bowling, given how they leaked runs at 10.7RPO at the death last season. Luckily, there are going to be some really interesting options. Barring that, they have a unit that is well balanced.
Punjab Kings
Purse Available: 3.45 crores + 5 crores = 8.45 crores
Players that can be released: Mayank Agarwal (12 crores), Shahrukh Khan (9 crores), Ishan Porel (25 lakh), Sandeep Sharma (50 lakh), Benny Howell (40 lakh), Odean Smith (6 crores), Baltej Singh (20 lakh)
Where they need strengthening: Punjab Kings had a well-rounded side last year. Even then, there was still one aspect that lacked, that was their approach at the top of the order. Mayank Agarwal’s dodgy form might well be signs of him being released, alongside the underperforming Shahrukh Khan. They can thus shed 21 crore for the auction.
Punjab Kings had a proper weakness with the bat towards the death, where they struck at only 160.1. So, they might head into the auction wanting to get players who could help them there. Barring that, they are well-rounded, being a real contender to lift the IPL trophy for the first time.
*All updates are till 13th November, 2022
