5 most expensive players of 2018 mega auction who haven't been retained ahead of IPL Auction 2022

Ahead of the IPL Auction 2022 mega auction, the eight existing franchises announced their lists of retained and released cricketers on Tuesday, which had some huge surprises for fans.

Some reputed players lost their contracts, while some uncapped stars were surprisingly retained. IPL Auction 2022 promises to be the biggest auction in the competition's history because of the names involved.

The previous mega auction took place in 2018. Interestingly, none of the top five picks from that auction have been retained ahead of IPL Auction 2022. In this listicle, we will look at those five names.

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#1 Ben Stokes - Released by RR before IPL Auction 2022

Ben Stokes will likely go under the hammer at IPL Auction 2022

England all-rounder Ben Stokes was the most expensive player at the previous mega auction. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) spent ₹12.5 crore to sign the ambidextrous all-rounder.

Stokes could not justify his price tag in any season. The Royals retained him for four years but released him before the IPL Auction 2022. Explaining the reason behind Stokes' release, RR's Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara said:

“It’s extremely difficult. They (Stokes & Jofra Archer) are two of the best players in the world at the moment. Ben Stokes is the best all-rounder I have seen in a very long time. We had to consider the number of retentions possible, player availability."

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#2 Jaydev Unadkat - Released by RR before IPL Auction 2022

Jaydev Unadkat was the most expensive Indian signing at the previous mega auction. Rajasthan Royals broke the bank and signed him up for a whopping ₹11.5 crore.

Like Ben Stokes, Unadkat could not perform at his best level while playing for the Rajasthan Royals. The team released him multiple times in the last four years only to sign him for a cheaper price. RR have not retained the left-arm pacer prior to IPL Auction 2022. It will be interesting to see if they buy him again.

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#3 Manish Pandey - Released by SRH before IPL Auction 2022

Manish Pandey has been released by Sunrisers Hyderabad before IPL Auction 2022

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) spent ₹11 crore to bag Manish Pandey's services at the 2018 IPL Auction. Pandey performed decently and even captained the Orange Army once.

However, the team management has decided against offering him another contract before IPL Auction 2022. Pandey is up for grabs once again ahead of a mega auction.

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#4 KL Rahul - Released by PBKS before IPL Auction 2022

Punjab Kings (PBKS) signed KL Rahul for ₹11 crore at the 2018 auction. Rahul performed the best among all the names present on this list. However, the right-handed batter reportedly wanted to leave the Punjab Kings after IPL 2021 ended.

The two parties could not come to an agreement before IPL Auction 2022. KL Rahul has thus been released before the mega auction.

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#5 Chris Lynn - Released by MI before IPL Auction 2022

Chris Lynn was released by Mumbai Indians

Kolkata Knight Riders signed Chris Lynn for ₹9.4 crore at the 2018 mega auction. However, Lynn was only released after the 2019 season. Mumbai Indians (MI) then bought him for ₹2 crore.

Lynn majorly warmed the benches at MI in the two seasons he was part of the Mumbai squad. The right-handed batter is back in the auction pool and should earn a big deal for the 2022 season.