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The eight existing franchises of the Indian Premier League (IPL), on Tuesday (November 30), announced the names of the players they have decided to retain ahead of the IPL 2022 auction.
The two most successful IPL franchises - Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) - retained four players each, as did Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
However, not all teams went on to fill the maximum slots permitted for retention. The Rajasthan Royals (RR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) retained three players each. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) decided to keep the least number of players - two.
A total of 27 players were retained by the eight existing franchises ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. The two new franchises - Ahmedabad and Lucknow - will get to pick a maximum of three players before the mega auction.
IPL 2022: Will these released players be picked as captains?
A number of big names have been released by their respective franchises ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. Among them, a few are potential captaincy candidates. We take a look at five such players.
#1 David Warner
Before things went wrong between David Warner and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the Aussie was the face of the franchise, both as captain and star batter. Warner is not a great tactician, but he inspired the team to victory in a number of matches in the IPL with his batting brilliance.
Warner led from the front and amassed 848 runs at a strike rate of 150 as SRH lifted their maiden and only IPL crown to date in 2016. The left-hander top-scored for the Sunrisers with 69 off 38 in the final against RCB.
In subsequent IPL editions, he scored 641 (2017), 692 (2019) and 548 (2020) runs. [He did not play in IPL 2018 due to the ball-tampering ban].
It all fell apart for Warner in IPL 2021 as he was sacked as captain midway through SRH’s campaign. He only represented the franchise in eight matches in which he scored 195 runs and had a poor strike rate of 107.73.
Under pressure, Warner shut all his critics by claiming the Player of the Tournament award in Australia’s T20 World Cup 2021 title triumph. Franchises would be keen to have him as captain, for sure, given his proven track record.
#2 Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer was recently in the news for becoming the first Indian batter to score a hundred and fifty on his Test debut. Before that, he was also renowned as the skipper who revived the Delhi Capitals’ (DC) fortunes in the IPL.
Under Iyer, DC reached their first playoffs in seven years during the IPL 2019 edition. They bowed out in Qualifier 2, going down to eventual runners-up CSK. In IPL 2020, Delhi created history under Iyer, when they reached the final of the tournament for the first time ever. Unfortunately for DC and Iyer, the franchise floundered against MI.
Heading into IPL 2021, DC had high hopes from Iyer leading the side well once again. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury ruled him out of the first half of the edition.
Even though he returned for the UAE leg, the DC management decided to continue with Rishabh Pant as captain. However, during his stint as leader, Iyer proved to be a shrewd and composed operator.
#3 Will KL Rahul lead Lucknow in IPL 2022?
As leader of Punjab Kings (PBKS), KL Rahul finished as the team’s leading run-scorer in the last two IPL editions. He won the Orange Cap for hammering 670 runs in IPL 2020 at a strike rate of 129.34 and smashed 626 runs in IPL 2021 while maintaining a strike rate of 138.80.
While Rahul was brilliant with the bat, PBKS as a franchise were abysmal as they failed to qualify for the playoffs in both seasons. It had more to do with the team being heavily dependent on skipper Rahul and his opening partner Mayank Agarwal. Apart from the two, PBKS hardly saw any significant contributions with the bat.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Rahul couldn’t give his best as leader since he didn’t have a proper squad in place. Often, PBKS looked disjointed as an outfit out in the middle.
Despite his apparent failure as captain of the Punjab franchise, reports indicate that he is all set to lead one of the new IPL franchises in Lucknow. Rahul has reportedly been offered a record amount for the same.
He may not have won a lot as IPL captain, but Rahul is viewed as a composed character, who can be a calming influence on the team. As for his batting, he doesn’t have much left to prove.
#4 Ravichandran Ashwin
Seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin led PBKS for two years in the IPL before being transferred to DC ahead of the IPL 2020 season. Under Ashwin, Punjab finished seventh in the 2018 edition and sixth in 2019. Not great stats, but like his successor Rahul, Ashwin was also perhaps leading the wrong side.
The 35-year-old cricketer is viewed as someone who has a very smart cricketing brain and reads the game very well. In fact, quite a few critics believe that Ashwin would make a good Test vice-captain, especially right now as Ajinkya Rahane battles his demons with the bat.
There is a decent chance of one of the franchises not only picking Ashwin but also naming him as leader. The spinner, who recently surpassed Harbhajan Singh’s tally of Test wickets, has been underutilized as a leader. Will that change in the upcoming IPL seasons?
#5 Ben Stokes
England’s prolific all-rounder Ben Stokes may have been in the news for his battle with mental health in recent times. Stokes is a combative character, who has often lifted himself out of tough times with incredible resilience.
His fighting quality was on display as he recovered from the hammering he took at the hands of Carlos Brathwaite in the 2016 T20 World Cup final. Stokes went on to play a stellar role in England’s 2019 50-over World Cup-winning campaign.
Even in the home series against Pakistan earlier this year, Stokes demonstrated immense composure as he inspired a second-string outfit to victory over Pakistan in the ODIs. It was the toughest of circumstances for Stokes. He was on recovery mode, having hurt his finger during the first half of IPL 2021 in India.
Further, the entire England squad (originally announced) was sent into isolation, after COVID hit the camp. With a team full of uncapped players, Stokes led England’s 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan.
The 30-year-old has unarguably turned them into the best all-rounder in cricket across formats over the last few years. He is a talismanic character, who can inspire and get inspired as well. Stokes would definitely be a good choice to lead an IPL franchise.
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