IPL Auctions 2014: Five retentions that should not have happened

1. Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin

It has been a fairly obvious trend. The teams that have done well in the past have retained most of their players (both CSK and MI have retained 5), whereas franchises like the Delhi Daredevils have made it clear that they want an entirely new combination this time, save probably Sehwag.

Ashwin may be currently the best Test all-rounder and one of the most consistent performers for the Super Kings over the years. Still, that does not justify his retention when a name like Albie Morkel does not feature in the retention list. True that, after the retention of the 4 Indian players, there is only one international spot left and Bravo was chosen over Morkel. But it looks bizarre when you see the players finally retained and the ones who are not. Chennai have certainly not gone ahead with the best pool of retained players.

While retaining Dhoni and Jadeja seems apt, they could have tried experimenting a bit by not retaining Ashwin and maybe opting to go for another bowling option at the auctions. A winning combination cannot last always and should be changed to make way for newer and better combinations when the time comes. This is where Chennai may have faltered.

With just 15 wickets in 18 games, Ashwin’s last season was by no means extraordinary. As regards international T20 cricket, Ashwin played just the 1 game last year against Australia at Rajkot. Chennai may have gone too far by selecting Raina as well, who is undergoing a lean patch himself. In a league like this, it may not be the best idea to have blind faith in your players all through the years, especially with the Joker card made available. Let us see whether Ashwin can prove his worth this time around.