5 worst retentions by the franchises ahead of IPL 2018 

The IPL 2018 retention policy allowed the franchises to retain up to five players by the combination of player retention (before the auction) and right to match (RTM) during the auctions. While a majority of the franchises retained their star players for a huge sum, there were some poor retentions as well.

Many questions were raised on KKR’s decision of not retaining Gambhir, but in the end it proved to be a positive decision from them as the former KKR skipper hasn’t been in great form. The left-handed batsman decided to sit out for Delhi Daredevils. That’s one fine example of how making a proper retention is crucial for a franchise.

Let’s have a look at the five worst retentions made by the IPL franchises.

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#5 Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz Khan burst onto the scene when he took the under-19 World Cup by storm in 2014. He later went on to play the 2016 edition of the under-19 World Cup as well and ended up scoring the most 50-plus scores in the tournament.

The 20-year old was bought in the 2015 IPL auctions by RCB after his heroics in the under-19 World Cup and he immediately gelled with the experienced players and played some important knocks towards the fag end of the innings. He was one of the three players retained by RCB ahead of the 2018 IPL auctions.

However, the Mumbai lad hasn’t been in great form for quite a while which hasn't helped the RCB cause. In the 3 matches he has played for RCB, he has looked out of sorts and he lost his place in the side.

#4 Mohit Sharma

Mohit Sharma

Kings XI Punjab retained just one player before the auction and used their RTM cards to retain their other players. However, the franchise decided to use their RTM on Mohit Sharma over Sandeep Sharma, which came as a surprise to many.

The retention of Mohit Sharma hasn't been a good decision, while Sandeep Sharma is leading the way for Sunrisers with some spectacular performances. Kings XI Punjab later replaced Mohit with Rajpoot, who’s been doing a formidable job for the side.

#3 Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja's retention over Ravichandran Ashwin left the fans of CSK fuming as the all-rounder hasn’t been in great form in the limited overs format. While Jadeja is a reliable all-rounder in Tests, his prowess in the shorter format of the game has taken a huge dip.

A hefty amount of Rs. 7 crores was used by the CSK franchise to retain Jadeja and he has not been up to the mark with both bat and ball until CSK's game against RCB in Pune. In spite of his heroics in one match, Jadeja makes it to the list based on his previous performances where he literally did nothing towards the success of the team.

#2 Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard was bought back by the Mumbai Indians using the RTM ahead of Jos Buttler, and in the end, it proved to be a terrible decision. Pollard’s prowess as a T20 specialist has diminished over the years and he has been struggling to get going across various leagues in the world.

Pollard’s striking ability against pace has been found out in this season’s IPL and his strike rate is awfully low which has made things difficult for Rohit Sharma and company.

After a series of poor performances, Pollard has been dropped from the side, but it has also put Mumbai Indians in a desperate situation to win all their remaining games to stand any chance of making it to the playoffs.

#1 Pawan Negi

Pawan Negi

RCB retaining Pawan Negi using RTM came as a huge surprise for many RCB fans as he doesn’t provide the proper stability for the side. Negi’s form has been awful in the shorter format of the game for quite a while and many expected him to go unsold in the auctions.

Negi has been a part of several franchises over the years and did reasonably well for CSK in 2015, which prompted other franchises to go huge for him in the 2016 auctions. Delhi Daredevils bought him for a huge sum of Rs. 8.5 crores, but he ended up as a huge disappointment for them.

His performances for RCB is no different and he has played only two games this season, but was dropped by the franchise henceforth.