3 players who have been released for the first time in their careers before IPL Auction 2022

The countdown to IPL Auction 2022 will begin soon. Ahead of the mega auction, the eight existing franchises have announced their lists of players to be retained and released.

Since the BCCI allowed the teams to a maximum of four players ahead of IPL Auction 2022, the team management of all eight franchises had to make some bold calls. Some franchises retained uncapped players over seasoned campaigners, while others preferred experienced stars.

Interestingly, quite a few big names did not wish to be retained by their franchises and wanted to participate in IPL Auction 2022.

Speaking of the mega auction, three star Indian cricketers have been released for the first time ever in their IPL careers. In this listicle today, we will look at those three names.

(Please Note: Players who have played a minimum of 6 IPL seasons are considered.)

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#1 Shreyas Iyer - Released by DC before IPL Auction 2022

Shreyas Iyer was not retained by Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL Auction 2022

Shreyas Iyer joined the Delhi Capitals (then known as Delhi Daredevils) in 2015. The right-handed batter scored 439 runs in his debut IPL season. However, his form dipped in 2016.

Delhi backed him in 2017 and Iyer responded by scoring 338 runs. Since his performance improved, DC retained him before the 2018 mega auction. In 2018, Iyer also became Delhi's captain.

Under Iyer's captaincy, the Delhi Capitals qualified for the IPL final for the first time ever. Unfortunately, Shreyas lost his captaincy because of a shoulder injury earlier this year. DC retained Rishabh Pant as their skipper and released Iyer from their squad for the first time since his IPL debut.

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#2 Suresh Raina - Released by CSK before IPL Auction 2022

Suresh Raina joined the Chennai Super Kings squad in 2008. He was the team's vice-captain for many seasons and led the team in MS Dhoni's absence. The southpaw's consistent batting performances played a massive role in CSK's success from 2008 to 2015.

When CSK received a suspension before the 2016 season, Raina played a couple of seasons for the Gujarat Lions. The Rajkot-based franchise exited the IPL in 2017. CSK returned in 2018 and retained Raina ahead of the 2018 mega auction.

He remained part of the squad until the culmination of IPL 2021. However, CSK have not retained Raina ahead of IPL Auction 2022, and this is the first time that Raina has been released by a franchise which will participate in the next IPL season.

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#3 Hardik Pandya - Released by MI before IPL Auction 2022

The last name to feature on this list is all-rounder Hardik Pandya. The Baroda-based star joined Mumbai Indians in 2015 and was retained by the franchise in all seasons, but he has been released ahead of IPL Auction 2022.

Pandya won four IPL trophies with the Mumbai-based franchise. He became one of the best all-rounders in the world after coming into the limelight while playing for MI. It will be interesting to see if MI buy him back at IPL Auction 2022.