On November 30th, existing IPL franchises announced the list of retentions before IPL 2022 Mega Auctions. As expected, there were a few surprises. In this article, we take a look at five retained players who could be released if they underperform in IPL 2022.
The season after the mega-auction is crucial for the franchises. Any mistake they did in the retention can be resolved by taking a few important calls after the season. Funds are important in the smaller auctions to get hands on quality players. Hence, a few franchises could go to the length of releasing the cricketers whom they had retained.
1) Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal is one of the best batters in Indian cricket at the moment. However, Punjab Kings has blocked INR 14 Cr from their purse on him, which many feel is a high amount. Unless Mayank is given captaincy duties, he will be under pressure to deliver with the bat. Or else, there is a chance that PBKS could release him and then try to buy him back at a lower price at the subsequent auctions.
2) Glenn Maxwell
It is not new for Glenn Maxwell to get a big salary and then be released by the franchise. However, at RCB, he is likely to get a longer rope. That said, knowing the debatable decisions that RCB has made in the past, if Maxi has a poor outing, they might release him. They could then try to buy him again at the auctions, like in Yuvraj Singh’s case.
3) Umran Malik
Umran Malik is one of the retained players who could be released if they underperform in IPL 2022. It is surprising that Sunrisers Hyderabad invested INR 4 Cr in a player who had just played three games in the competition. Umran also has very little domestic experience to go with him. The only possible explanation is that SRH has seen him enough in the nets to arrive at the conclusion that he will become a better bowler in the years to come. That said, SRH might as well release him if Umran has a poor outing in IPL 2022.
4) Varun CV
It will be a crucial campaign for Varun CV next season. KKR has retained him at a high price, and the performances have to meet the expectations. Most importantly, Varun must show improvement in fitness and should no longer be a liability on the field. Since KKR already has a mystery spinner in the form of Sunil Narine, they might decide to release Varun so that he can be brought back at a lesser price. To avoid this, Varun should be at his best, like he has been in the last two seasons.
5) Andre Russell
Andre Russell is also one of the retained players who could be released if they underperform in IPL 2022. Russell has done well in the T10 League but in IPL, he has been underwhelming the last two seasons. While KKR has backed him till now, they could lose patience if Russell yet again misses games in the next campaign. Also, for the confidence that they have in him, the West Indian must do well on the field to retain his position in the KKR team.
