IPL Retention 2022: 5 player releases that could be hard to accept

On November 30, 2021, the IPL 2022 player retention event will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network and Hotstar in India. During the event, fans will find out which players have been released as well.

Due to their star value, big-money players like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma are obvious retentions. However, the same might not be the case for some of last season's biggest let-offs, including Suresh Raina, Hardik Pandya and Chris Morris.

Despite regaining his form at the T20 World Cup 2021, David Warner intends to end his association with SRH. Similarly, Shreyas Iyer has expressed his desire to leave the Delhi Capitals and enter the auction pool to lead a new team.

As of now, various reports and predictions suggest the most likely player retentions for every team. However, nothing is certain before November 30 when the franchises will officially announce their list of retained players. Therefore, we can expect some surprising decisions in the IPL retention 2022, including some hard-to-accept releases.

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#1 Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel (Image Source: BCCI/IPLT20.COM)

Royal Challengers Bangalore could let go of Harshal Patel in the 2022 IPL Retention event. According to the NDTV report, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell are the two players on RCB's retention list.

If the Bangalore-based team decides to retain two more players, the most likely candidates are Devdutt Padikkal and Yuzvendra Chahal. Padikkal is the third-leading run-scorer after Kohli and AB de Villiers among the most recent RCB squad.

Meanwhile, Chahal is RCB's all-time leading wicket-taker with 139 wickets in 113 matches. Therefore, the team might make a difficult decision and release Harshal, the 2021 purple cap holder.

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#2 Faf du Plessis

Faf Du Plessis (Image Source: BCCI/IPLT20.COM)

Chennai Super Kings might part ways with Faf du Plessis during the 2022 IPL retention event. The Indian Express reports that CSK could retain MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and the previous season's leading run-scorer Ruturaj Gaikwad.

The Super Kings could retain only one overseas player, with Indian players occupying three spots on the retention list. Unfortunately for Faf, CSK reportedly held talks with Sam Curran and Moeen Ali, hoping to retain one of the two.

Du Plessis has been a constant presence on the CSK side over the years. In the most recent IPL, Faf obtained the tournament's second-highest score, missing the orange cap by just a few runs. Therefore, his release would be hard to accept.

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#3 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan might not be on the Delhi Capitals' retention list at the 2022 IPL retention event. ESPN Cricinfo claims that DC could retain Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel, and Anrich Nortje.

In this case, the senior batter might find another franchise in the auction pool after the retention event. Since rejoining the Delhi team in 2019, Dhawan has scored a whopping 1726 runs in 49 innings.

Even in the most recent IPL, Dhawan was DC's top scorer with 587 runs in 16 matches. As he is an experienced opener in exquisite form, Dhawan not being on DC's retention list will be unacceptable for some fans.

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#4 Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada, much like Shikhar Dhawan, might not be a priority retention for Delhi Capitals in the 2022 IPL retention. The 26-year-old pacer did not top the leaderboards in the recently concluded IPL, but has nonetheless made a laudable contribution to DC in recent years.

The South African speedster bowls at a maximum pace of 154.23 km/h and is known for skillfully handling death overs. In the 2020 IPL, Rabada notched up 30 wickets and won the purple cap. The likelihood of seeing Rabada at another team could hurt some DC fans.

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#5 Suryakumar Yadav

As per reports, Mumbai Indians may not retain Suryakumar Yadav during the 2022 IPL retention. Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, and Ishan Kishan are the most likely retentions for the Mumbai team.

Ever since he arrived in Mumbai, Suryakumar Yadav has consistently scored 300+ runs in each season. As a hometown hero and former Mumbai domestic team captain, Suryakumar seems like future captaincy material for MI as well.

Although Mumbai might plan to buy him at the mega auction in January, it could prove to be a challenging task given his high demand. Plus, the two new teams could sign him immediately after the IPL retention event. Therefore, his release could be hard to digest for many Mumbai fans.