IPL 2019: One wrong release and retention made by each franchise

#1 Chennai Super Kings

Wrongly Released: Mark Wood

Mark Wood, the English paceman, got released by CSK owing to his mediocre performance in IPL 2018. Wood played only a single game in IPL 2018 where he ended up giving 49 runs in four overs. However, his one-off performance doesn't justify his bowling exploits in the shorter format of the game.

Thus, CSK could have retained Wood for IPL 2019 as it would have provided them with a variety of options in their pace department - a department where CSK struggled a bit in IPL 2018. Moreover, he would have acted a decent backup option in case of injuries.

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Wrongly Retained: Murali Vijay

Murali Vijay, India's Test specialist, hasn't been a regular affair in T20 cricket. His inability to score runs quickly has been the enigma for him. The storyline wasn't any different in IPL 2018 where he played only one game and scored just 12 runs.

Thus, with age not on his side and plummeting form (in shorter formats of the game), Chennai Super Kings' move of retaining Murali Vijay might not deliver goods for them as they already have a settled opening combination. Moreover, Vijay's release could also have made way for another youngster who could have turned out to be beneficial for CSK in the longer term.