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5 players who were surprisingly released before IPL 2021 Auction

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Chris Morris and Malinga
Photo Source: Twitter

The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League will begin soon. Ahead of the 14th IPL season, all franchises declared their respective retained players’ list for the tournament. As always, there were some big surprises in the retention ceremony. Many IPL franchises released their under-performers from the 2020 season.

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Meanwhile, some players who did a decent job also lost their contracts. On the other hand, some players who could not justify their price tags received another opportunity to prove themselves. In this article, we will have a look at those five players were surprisingly released before the IPL 2021 Auction.

5. Steve Smith

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Steve Smith captained the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020. He took several questionable decisions as a skipper, like he promoted himself to the opening position and then benched the talented U-19 star Yashasvi Jaiswal. Even IPL star Manan Vohra warmed the bench for the entire IPL 2020, while Robin Uthappa batted in the middle-order for some games before receiving a promotion.

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For the first time in their IPL history, the Rajasthan Royals finished at the last position. The owners were naturally unhappy. Hence, they released Steve Smith. Perhaps, they could have given him one last chance to prove himself because he is a proven match-winner and has much experience. Also, IPL 2021 will likely happen in India and not in the UAE.

4. Chris Morris

It seemed like the Royal Challengers Bangalore finally found their perfect all-rounder in IPL 2020. Chris Morris could take wickets with the ball and also smash big shots with the bat.

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Surprisingly, Morris did not receive another contract before IPL 2021. He picked up 11 wickets in nine matches last year. Many teams will hunt for him in the auction now.

3. Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga is the highest wicket-taker in IPL history. Although he has aged now, he showed in IPL 2019 that he can still win matches for the Mumbai Indians.

Unfortunately, Malinga had missed IPL 2020 due to personal reasons. Now, the Mumbai-based franchise have ended their association with him. Malinga could join the coaching staff of any franchise if no team signs him in the auction.

2. Tom Banton

Tom Banton KKR
Photo: Tom Banton/Instagram

Ahead of IPL 2020 Auction, many fans expected Tom Banton to emerge as the most expensive player of the auction. However, only the Kolkata Knight Riders bid for him in the auction.

KKR gave him only two matches to play, where he scored 18 runs. Perhaps, KKR could have given him one more chance to show his talent with the bat in Indian conditions once.

1. Moeen Ali

The Royal Challengers Bangalore might have released Chris Morris because of his hefty price tag. However, Moeen Ali’s release has raised many eyebrows. Ali was an ‘X-factor’ all-rounder, who had done well for RCB in IPL 2019.

He can open the innings, bat in middle order, and also finish the innings if needed. Also, the captain can get four overs from him. Still, Bangalore have released him and they only have Washington Sundar in their all-round department now. Notably, even Shivam Dube has been released by the Royal Challengers Bangalore team.