KL Rahul to Rashid Khan: Why the IPL 2022 retentions don’t reveal the full story

The IPL retentions are now public and the real story is in the names that are missing. With KL Rahul now tipped to be India’s white-ball star going forward, why would a franchise not want to retain him? Why would Rahul want to shift base?

Why would someone like Rashid Khan want to move away from Sunrisers Hyderabad and put himself into the auction? Why would SRH, for example, not reconcile their differences with David Warner after his World Cup exploits? These are some of the questions doing the rounds in the post retention scenario.

While Rahul will indeed be the most sought after along with Shreyas Iyer, with many franchises wanting the two of them, one needs to wait and see how the two new franchises move in the next few days. While no official talks could have been concluded ahead of the retention, things will indeed start to become clear in the next day or so.

Two new IPL teams' strategy in focus for the next few days ahead of auction

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Drafts by the two new franchises will also reveal their way of thinking. Will they go for an Indian captain and batter and a star all-rounder, for example? Or will they target a tearaway fast bowler in the early phase?

Someone like Marcus Stoinis could well emerge as the dark horse in the next phase. Stoinis has a fantastic Big Bash record, he is a real match-winner for Australia and can also bat up the order for the franchise if he is asked to.

A handy bowler too, players like Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh proved invaluable for Australia at the T20 World Cup and can evoke a lot of interest from among the new teams.

Among the batters, Warner, Johnny Bairstow, Devdutt Paddikal, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan are expected to be real draws. On the bowling front, Kagiso Rabada, Lockie Fergusson, Yuzvendra Chahal and of course, Rashid Khan will keep the franchises interested in the mega auction. This is not to forget Rahul and Shreyas, plus the focus on where the two Indian stars go in the next few days.

What the retentions have also revealed is that not all franchises have been able to deal with their stars well. That’s something teams will have to watch out for, going forward. It reflects on the management, and it is also something that can impact the team's reputation and performance. Happy teams like the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings always do well, and this is a lesson for all coming out of the retention process.