The BCCI is yet to confirm an official date for the 2021 IPL auction but sources claim that it is likely to take place on either Feb 18 or 19 in Chennai. The IPL auction continues to be the biggest cricketing auction in the world as players are bought and sold for millions.
The success of top IPL teams like the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians over the years has rested on their ability to keep their core team together. We take a look at the different IPL teams and which players they have decided to retain for 2021.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Have once again retained Virat Kohli (17 crores) as captain and AB Devilliers (11 crores). What many will find surprising is that RCB has paid 20 crores to retain young D Padikkal who was a start for RCB in 2020. Kane Richardson (4 crores) and A Zampa (4 crores) are two of the overseas stars that RCB have retained.
Mumbai Indians
The defending champions have stuck with their core squad that has helped them win the 2020 IPL trophy. R Sharma will once again captain the side. They have also retained the Pandya brothers, Suryakumar Yadav who was very impressive last season, R Chahar and J Bumrah. The overseas players that have been retained include K Pollard, Chris Lynn and Quinton de Kock.
Chennai Super Kings
CSK were expected to make big changes after failing to make the playoffs in 2020 but they have stuck with their core side again. MS Dhoni will once again captain and veterans Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo and Faf Du Plessis will once again put on the yellow jersey. Some of the other players retained include Sam Curran, Josh Hazelwood, R Jadeja, L Ngidi and J Hazelwood.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Have not made any significant changes as they have stuck with their core group. David Warner will captain and receive support once again from Kane Williamson, J Bairstow, Rashid Khan, M Nabi, W Saha and B Kumar.
Kings XI Punjab
KL Rahul will once again captain and have the big hitters from the West Indies in C Gayle and N Pooran in his squad once again. Some of the other players retained include D Hooda, M Agarwal, Chris Jordan, Sarfaraz Khan, M Shami and Ravi Bishnoi.
Rajasthan Royals
The Royals have given Sanju Samson the captaincy for 2021. He will be supported by overseas players like Ben Stokes, Jos Butler, J Archer and David Miller. The other domestic players that have been retained by the Royals include Rahul Tewatia, Kartik Tyagi, Jaydev Unadkat and Manan Vohra.
Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals had a great run during the 2020 IPL under captain S Iyer. Iyer will once again captain the squad and be in charge of a familiar bunch of players which include S Dhawan, R Ashwin, A Patel, A Rahane, A Mishra and I Sharma. The overseas players retained include South African pacers Anrich Nortje and KG Rabada, all-rounder Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer.
Kolkata Knight Riders
When KKR dropped captain Dinesh Karthik midways during IPL 2020, many expected KKR to release Karthik. However, they have retained D Karthik and will continue to have E Morgan as the skipper. Some of the overseas players retained by KKR include top T20 all-rounder A Russell, S Narine, Pat Cummins, Harry Gurney and L Ferguson.
Domestic players retained by KKR include K Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy, Nitish Rana, Kuldeep Yadav and Shubman Gill.
IPL franchises will be keeping a close watch on the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy which is a domestic T20 tournament. Players who do well in the tournament, could earn a huge paycheck during the upcoming IPL auction. If you want to bet on the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, go to Betway.
