IPL 2023 Retention: Top 10 funny SRH memes after they release Kane Williamson and end up with the biggest purse for mini-auction

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) made a massive decision ahead of the mini-auction as they decided to part ways with Kane Williamson, their captain in IPL 2022. The talismanic player had a forgettable season this year with the bat. The team also ended up in the bottom half of the points table in eighth position.

In addition to Williamson, the orange franchise also bid adieu to other overseas players like Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, and Sean Abbott. They also released eight domestic players, including Priyam Garg. Team management continued to put faith in talented youngsters like Umran Malik, Abdul Samad, and Abhishek Sharma by retaining them.

Players retained by SRH are - Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kartik Tyagi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik.

After releasing several costly players, Sunrisers now have the biggest purse (INR 42.25 crores) to shop at the mini-auction next month. Due to the same, they have the luxury of aggressively pursuing multiple high-profile cricketers. They can potentially go for players like Sam Curran, Ben Stokes, and Cameron Green at the auction if they make themselves available.

SRH's decision to release Kane Williamson yielded divided reactions from the fans. However, the majority were pleased that they had the highest purse left in the end, as SRH could potentially make massive purchases at the auction.

Fans expressed their views on the matter by sharing hilarious memes. Here are some of the best ones:

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"Umran is a super-exciting talent"- Kane Williamson on his former SRH teammate ahead of T20I series against India

Kane Williamson recently reflected on his experience of playing alongside Umran Malik in IPL 2022. He heaped praise on his former Sunrisers teammate. Acknowledging that Malik was a great asset in the previous IPL season, Williamson was glad to see him in the international cricket arena.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the series against India, Kane Williamson said:

"Umran is a super-exciting talent and I got to spend time with him last year in the IPL and his raw pace was a real asset to the team. To see him on the international team has been a great rise for him. When you've got that ability to bowl 150+ then it's very exciting."

He added:

"With him in the squad, there are certainly high hopes that he will have an involvement in Indian cricket for a long time. Playing more and more on such tours will only help him in his journey."

Team India's tour of New Zealand will commence on November 18 with the first T20I of the three-match series in Wellington.