Rishabh Pant is anchor of Delhi Capitals ship

 

Delhi Capitals is the team who has good Indian players base same as KKR in Indian Premier League. They have qualified for playoffs but failed to go further. However, they have very good T20 batsman and wicketkeeper as their captain. Rishabh Pant can lead Delhi Capitals in next few years in Indian Premiere League. Shreyas Iyer will not be retained and will be released for mega auction pool of players.

Choice will be very tough for Delhi Capitals for retention looking at their pool of players. They picked good players at good prices and they performed well for Delhi Capitals. One such example is Anrich Nortje. His performance proved phenomenal during last few seasons of Indian Premiere League. He will be second pick for retention.

Delhi Capitals has very good opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw. It is left-right combination at opening and both players are very aggressive in power play. If Delhi Capitals want to retain both of them, it is possible. However, retention amount for keeping them both will be high. Shikhar Dhawan comes with international cricket experience and he is more experienced than Prithvi Shaw. With amount to be put in for retention, it is good to retain Shikhar Dhawan and try to pick Prithvi Shaw or opening batsman from mega auction.

Next retention can be in spinners or in all-rounders. Axar Patel, Marcus Stoinis, Ravichandran Ashwin are part of this selection. Based on recent performances, experience, Marcus Stoinis will be fourth retention. He can be utilized from 5 to 7 numbers and he is match winner. He can also be fifth bowler for the team and can give good balance to the team.

Possible Retention – Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Anrich Nortje, Marcus Stoinis

Will Jos Buttler replace Sanju Samson as Captain of Rajasthan Royals?

 

Rajasthan Royals always in limelight due to big money buy in auctions. They are winner of first Indian Premiere League but ever since they did not get right combination in all other seasons. There were lot of changes in players, coaching staff, captain in last 12 years. Non performance of players purchased by Rajasthan Royals with big money was another problem during last 12 years. This year also, it is the same. Sanju Samson is not willing to be part of Rajasthan Royals anymore and if rumours are to be believed, there is no success in internal talks. If Sanju Samson will not be part of Rajasthan Royals, they will have lot of issues related to retention players and captainship.

During last two seasons of Indian Premiere League, another problem was availability of key players for the season. During last Indian Premiere League season, non-availability of England cricketers affected Rajasthan Royals much more as they have lot of England players like Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer.

If Jos Buttler will be available for this season, one cannot not confirm that he will be available for next season of Indian Premiere League. He is great player, wicket keeper and best batsman for T20 format. However, it is good to retain him as a player now and not as a captain. Decision of captain can be taken after mega auction in 2022.

Retention of players will cost lot of money and that will reduce purse in mega auction. So as per my understanding, Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone are best pick for retention. Ben Stokes and Chris Morris are inconsistent through out Indian Premier League during Rajasthan Royals tenure even if picked at higher price. Liam Livingstone has very good recent performances in shorter formats of the game like T20 and T10 make him best pick for Rajasthan Royals. He is all-rounder and helpful in 4 to 6 number.

Rajasthan Royals has always problem for finishers and slot 4 to 6. Rahul Tewatia has very good knocks in Indian Premiere League and he is all-rounder who can bat at 5 to 7 numbers.

They will not retain any other player apart from three players and will select their team at mega auction.

Possible Retention – Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Rahul Tewatia.

 

After Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers – Who will lead Royal Challengers Bangalore next?

 

It was shocking moment for all Royal challengers’ supporters when Virat Kohli decided to step down as Captain of the team. Nobody has predicted the same. The intention of decision may be anything but Virat Kohli may be focusing on his batting and continue as player for Royal Challengers Bangalore. There is new coach Sanjay Bangar appointed for Royal Challengers Bangalore for next two seasons of Indian Premiere League. New coach and new captain will decide on future of team selection and normal tactics. However, experienced player like Virat Kohli will be as mentor role for young players to prepare new team for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Next big question is captainship for Royal Challengers Bangalore. There are some rumours about KL Rahul coming back to Royal Challengers Bangalore and will lead the side. However, it is distinct possibility right now. As per record, AB De Villiers could have been captain for Royal Challengers Bangalore. His association with Virat Kohli and with the team is very old. He is experienced player. However, it is now not possible as AB De Villiers decided to retire from all forms of cricket. This will be big blow for Royal Challengers Bangalore for 2022 season.

Few other options to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore will be David Warner, Aaron Finch, Eoin Morgan, Shreyas Iyer. But it will be decided in next few weeks.

Possible Retention – Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal

Leadership change is on the horizon for Kolkata Knight Riders

IPL 2021 season was good for Kolkata Knight Riders. There was team effort and some unique aspect was performance of Indian players like V. Iyer, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi to name a few. It will be very difficult for Kolkata Knight Riders to decide on retention for 2022 season. They also have very good international players like Eoin Morgan, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Andre Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine.

Kolkata Knight Riders should focus on retention based on their core strength. Opening pair is very good for them i.e., Shubman Gill and V Iyer. They also have strong 3^rd and 4^th number batsman with Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi. They have three best all-rounders for T20 format i.e. Andre Russel, Sunil Narine and Shakib Al Hasan.

Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik will be released based on their performance in Indian Premiere League 2021. They can buy bowlers from mega auction from big pool.

After retention of four good players, focus of Kolkata Knight Riders should be on building team specially bowlers, wicket keeper and batsman / all-rounders for 3^rd to 6^th spot. After building the team, captain should be decided from the squad. In mega auction, Kolkata Knight Riders should focus on buying those players who were part of their team for long period to maintain core of team. Even if, they will buy all those players similar to 2021 (except Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik), they will be good to go.

Possible Retention – Shubman Gill, V Iyer, Andre Russel, Sunil Narine

Mumbai Indians Dilemma – Player Retention from Spotted Talents

There will be mega auction for Indian Premiere League in 2022 and rules are already set by governing council. There are two new teams from 2022 season. This has increased competition and all franchisees need to take tough decisions on player selection.

Mumbai Indians team is known for their best spotted talents. They nurture talents and make players big in cricket world. Famous examples are Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Krunal Pandya and many other young talents. They invested heavily in this new talent pool. Rules of this year Indian Premiere League make it very difficult for Mumbai Indians to consider options for retention.

Rohit Sharma will lead Mumbai Indians team and he is most successful captain in Indian Premiere League. He is very experienced batsman at opening.

Jasprit Bumrah will be main lead bowler who has very good record at international level. He is main bowler for India cricket team. He will be in retention list.

Kieron Pollard will be third retained player. He is all rounder and he is experienced at 5 and 6 number. He will be in playing 11 always. In absence of Rohit Sharma, he is handling captaincy. He is match winner player. Even though his recent performance is not up to the mark but still he will be retained.

Fourth option for retention will be highly difficult for Mumbai Indians where their dilemma starts. They need to pick from their spotted talent pool but the choice is only one. From Ishan Kashan, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav; they need to pick only one. These three players are also in radar for other teams and specially for newly created teams.

Hear comes flexibility of team and different roles a player can play. Suryakumar Yadav is batsman playing at 3 and 4 number. Hardik Pandya is all rounder and handy at 5 and 6 number with Pollard. He can be fifth bowler. However, his current form is not up to the mark with bowling. Ishan Kishan is batsman with flexibility of playing at opening or at 3 and 4 number. He can act as wicket keeper. Mumbai Indians will release Quinton De Kock. In earlier formats of Indian Premiere League, both wicket keepers were there in playing 11. This reduces chance of adding extra bowler or all rounder in team. Ishan Kishan can give this flexibility in the team. So, he will be sure choice for retention.

Retained Players Possibility – Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, Ishan Kishan

Guardian of Sunrisers Hyderabad Ship – Kane Williamson

Sunrisers Hyderabad shocked cricket fans when they decided to step down David Warner as captain and gave opportunity to Kane Williamson to lead team. The move was taken due to bad performance of Sunrisers Hyderabad team in last two IPL seasons and Warner’s own batting performance as opener. Kane Williamson was a good choice. He is current captain of New Zealand cricket team in all formats.

Looking at current performance of New Zealand in ICC T20 world cup at UAE, Kane Williamson is first choice for retention for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He is known for his cool and calm nature and make him perfect for captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad.

As a batsman, Kane Williamson is useful for number 3 and 4 position in the team. His international experience is very helpful to steady inning if openers are out early.

Apart from Kane Williamson, second choice of retention for Sunrisers Hyderabad is Rashid Khan. His current form in ICC T20 world cup at UAE is very good and he is backbone of Sunrisers Hyderabad bowing attack at Indian pitches.

There is much speculation going on about retention of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Current form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar is not up to his reputation and he was not part of last four games of India at ICC T20 world cup at UAE. Considering value for money and confirmation in playing 11, Bhuvneshwar Kumar should not be retained.

There are lot of promising Indian players in current Sunrisers Hyderabad squad but as per my understanding, they will not retain any other Indian players and will not reduce their purse size at IPL mega auction 2022.

Retained players possibility – Kane Williamson, Rashid Khan, Wriddhiman Saha (very less chance)

Player Retention Strategy for Punjab Kings in IPL 2022

Punjab Kings is franchisee in IPL who has lots of happenings and buzzes but failed to make significant achievement in IPL history. There are lots of changes in team, support staff but none of these changes make Punjab Kings successful.

In 2022, two new teams are added in Indian Premiere League and there will be mega auction. This year will be very crucial for Punjab Kings and there will be desperate efforts to pick good team. There is lot of speculation about KL Rahul ahead of retention window for IPL 2022. KL Rahul is most successful batsman for Punjab Kings but he did not make his team enter into playoffs. Cricket is team game and every match is different. Punjab Kings need match winners and team effort to make a mark in IPL.

It is good for Punjab Kings to look into building a team and trust in the core team. In IPL history, Punjab Kings is one of few teams who did not have core team. This is perfect time for them to make core team.

There will be big pool of players including International, Domestic, Uncapped. There is no ‘right to match’ during this year’s mega auction.

There should not be any retention by Punjab Kings this year. This will help them going with big purse during mega auction 2022. They can look forward to smart trading buys with less amount (<3 Cr INR) ahead of auction but should not focus on big amount buy. This will help them see available pool of players after all retention by other IPL Franchisees and they can understand focus of other franchisees during mega auction 2022 whether to target batsman, all-rounder, bowlers, wicket keeper. This will give Punjab Kings extra time to think about their own strategy for mega auction 2022.

CSK Possible Plans for Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is iconic cricket player for India. His fan following is very huge. For CSK (Chennai Super Kings) franchisee, He is 'Thala' for all CSK fans. We cannot imagine CSK without Dhoni. IPL 2022 has many things to offer. There will be two new teams going to play for 2022 and there will be mega auction.

There is big question right now about Dhoni playing in IPL 2022. He hinted in last IPL final closing presentation about being with CSK. So, he will be part of CSK in future IPL seasons. However, there are rumours about his retention with CSK. Dhoni is insisting not to retain him to save retention money to be given to him. One needs to understand this year IPL auction process to understand further steps of CSK.

In this year IPL, there will be two new teams. IPL governing authority needs to give level playing field to new teams so once all franchisees decide their four retentions (either 2 Indian and 2 Foreign or 3 Indian and 1 Foreign), other players will be part of auction pool. Two new teams have window from 1^st December-2021 for 3 weeks to choose 3 players each from this pool for their retention. So, if CSK will release Dhoni for auction, there will be higher chances that two new teams will pick them for their retention. This is big risk for CSK. So CSK will surely retain Dhoni.

As per my understanding, CSK will look into possibility of retaining Dhoni but not as player but as mentor who can prepare new team for next 5-10 years. This way Dhoni will be part of CSK and his wish of not throwing big money on retention on him can be settled. It will be hard decision for CSK fans but it is good for long term for CSK.

Following are my picks for retention for CSK.

1.    Ruturaj Gaikwad (uncapped player)

2.     Ravindra Jadeja

3.     Faf Du Plessis

4.     MS Dhoni OR Moeen Ali (If Dhoni is becoming mentor)