5 best retentions made by IPL franchises for the future

On 27 May 2018, the 11th edition of IPL ended on a high-note with CSK having a fairy-tale season, winning the title for the third time after a 2-year setback.

Entering into the second decade, the expectation of the tournament intensified when the eight franchises announced their respective pre-auction player retention on 4th January, 2018. With 18 players being retained on pre-auction buy, further 18 players were retained by the teams using RTM (Right-To-Match) in Vivo IPL auction 2018.

While some star players performed well below-par, few unexpected players out-performed from the list of 36 cricketers. So, with the end of another successful season, let's have a look at the list of players whose retention will reap immense rewards for different franchises in upcoming IPL seasons.

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#5 Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians

Hardik Pandya- One of the best all-rounders in the world

The stylish all-rounder made giant strides as a limited-overs bowler in the 11th season of IPL. Retained for a hefty amount of 11 crores, Hardik had one of his best seasons with Mumbai Indians.

In 13 matches, Pandya picked up 18 wickets at an average of 21 and stood fifth in the list of leading wicket-takers. Though he was a bit expensive with an economy of 8.92, Hardik bowled most of his overs in the powerplay and death overs.

Pandya explored his role as a finisher with the bat, scoring 260 runs at a strike rate of 133 with a solitary fifty in the tournament.

Best Performance: Hardik won the MOM award in a home-leg match against Kolkata Knight Riders with a vital 35* off 20 balls and a match-winning spell of 4-0-19-2.

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#4 Rashid Khan, Sunrisers Hyderabad

Rashid Khan - Afghanistan young sensation

After an extraordinary debut season, a strong bidding took place between 4 franchises for Rashid Khan. Though Kings XI Punjab won the bid, Sunrisers Hyderabad used the RTM card stocked in specific for the leggie.

After retaining him for a whopping 9 crore, the burden on the leg-spinner was huge. As expected, Rashid Khan rose to the occasion and led the SRH bowling line-up with Bhuvneshwar Kumar being in and out of the team with a niggle.

In 17 matches, Rashid picked up 21 wickets at a staggering strike rate of 19.42, clinching 2nd place in the list of leading wicket-takers. With an economy rate of 6.73, he choked the batsmen with precision and uncertainty.

Best Performance: Rashid's best performance came at the biggest stage (Qualifier-2) against Kolkata Knight Riders. With 34* off 10 balls and a fierce spell which included three wickets, he single-handedly took SRH into their second IPL final.

#3 Andre Russell, Kolkata Knight Riders

Andre Russell: Jamaican six-hitting machine

After a one year ban due to doping violation, Russell came back to competitive cricket since February 2018. Although KKR backed him considering all-rounder ability and retained him in the pre-auction buy for 7 crores.

With his brutal hitting-power, he destroyed the opposition bowlers by whacking the ball out of the park at the fag-end of the innings. In 14 innings, Russell scored 316 runs at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 184.79 (came 2nd on the super-striker list).

Russell, with his accurate bouncers and deadly yorkers, gave KKR some handy strikes at important moments. Though he struggled with his hamstring at times, he scalped 13 wickets at crucial matches of the tournament.

Best Performance: His 25-ball 49* (3 boundaries and 5 sixes) against Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator propelled KKR to post a match-winning total of 169.

#2 Rishabh Pant, Delhi Daredevils

Ricky Ponting was one of the reasons for Pant's blistering performance in IPL 2018.

The elegant left-hander had his best season in the 11th edition of IPL. Delhi Daredevils decided to retain him considering the long-term prospects of having the lad in the team. Although he proved his worth in the present season itself.

With his mesmerizing stroke-play, he dismantled many bowling line-ups. In just 14 matches, Pant notched up 684 runs at a mind-boggling strike rate of 173.6 with 5 fifties and a hundred. The consistent performance was the key behind his monumental success in this season.

He led the list of most boundaries and sixes in a season (68 boundaries, 37 sixes) and had a season-high score of 128*.

Best Performance: With his unbeaten score 128* off 63 balls against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, he holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian in IPL history.

#1 Sunil Narine, Kolkata Knight Riders

Sunil Narine- A mystery spinner to a fearsome all-rounder

Sunil Narine has been part of the Kolkata Knight Riders since his debut in IPL. His mystery bowling was the vital cog in KKR's 2-time title triumph. The recent changes implemented in his bowling-action made him predictable, but KKR had faith in his ability and retained him in the pre-auction buy.

Even with the altered action, Narine was effective as he scalped 16 wickets at a decent economy rate of 7.65. His dot-ball percentage helped his peers like Chawla and Kuldeep to attack the opponent team.

The MVP of the season made crucial contributions with the bat in powerplay and cemented his place as an opening batsman in the team. In 16 matches, Narine scored 357 runs in the season at a whopping strike rate of 190.

Best Performance: In a match against RCB, Narine demoralized the RCB bowlers by notching up 50 runs off 19 balls and made the chase of 178 a cakewalk for KKR.

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