One player each team should have ideally released before IPL Auction 2019

Indian Premier League is one of the hottest and happening tournaments to be played across the world. The 11th edition which concluded earlier this year saw the Chennai Super Kings clinching the title who were returning from a ban. Expectations are already high for the next edition as the banter between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Twitter went viral recently.

The deadline for the teams to finalize their transactions and list of players to be released ended yesterday. Shikhar Dhawan's transfer to Delhi Daredevils raised many eyebrows while the release of players like Mitchell Starc, Akila Dananjaya by their respective teams was expected. Although teams have finalized their release, we list one player from each team who should have been released:

1. Mumbai Indians - Kieron Pollard

Mumbai Indians, one of the most successful teams which have won 3 trophies so far had a forgettable tournament this year. Although they had enough reasons for their poor show, an undeniable reason is Kieron Pollard.

The veteran T20 batsman had been a pillar for the team without whom the tagline 'one of the most successful team' would have become questionable. However, the Caribbean all-rounder seemed to have lost his touch as he hardly made his presence felt. While the reasons for his poor show could be many and his return to form is anticipated highly, Mumbai Indians should have released him and the fans would have expected the same.

Even though one could argue over the numerous match winning knocks the all-rounder had played for the team, his time in the team seemed to have ended anyway. The team should have released him and should have hunted for budding youngsters in the Auction. However, it isn't the case and let's hope the backing from the team provides the much-needed confidence and he roars back to form.

2. Chennai Super Kings - Harbhajan Singh

If anyone would search examples for a comeback, the Chennai Super Kings show in this year IPL would top the list. Few would have expected such a comeback from the team which is returning from a 2-year ban.

What made the comeback more special was that Chennai Super Kings didn't rely on one player as almost everyone contributed to the team's victory. However, Harbhajan Singh who played for the first time in yellow jersey wasn't on the list.

After the departure of their hometown boy Ravichandran Ashwin, fans expected Harbhajan Singh to be a fitting a replacement for the spinner. Sadly, Harbhajan failed to live up to the expectations of the fans although he made some contributions for the team. Like Pollard, he was also expected to be released from the team. It remains to be seen if he can repay for the faith that the team has kept on him.

3. Royal Challengers Bangalore – Pawan Negi

If the World Cup teams are mapped to IPL teams then RCB would match with South Africa, such is their similarity. Both the teams enter the tournament with much hopes and talent that can clinch the title but they disappoint themselves and fans by ending up losing the crucial games.

IPL 2018 was no different, entering the league they had many hopes but sadly they were knocked out after losing a crucial game against Rajasthan Royals. Pawan Negi who made the headlines during his stint at Chennai Super Kings came to RCB after failing to justify his price tag at Delhi Daredevils in the previous seasons.

The team management expected him to play the role of an all-rounder but he was neither a batsman who could slog at death overs or a bowler who can remove a couple of wickets. With his poor form, it’s really surprising of RCB management’s idea to retain him. They already have Washington Sundar who has been good at times and they could have aimed at some new players at the pool than retaining him again.

4. Sunrisers Hyderabad – Basil Thampi

The bowling heavy team reached the finals of this edition but lost the match to Chennai Super Kings solely due to poor bowling. Sunrisers have a pack of bowlers who are proven match winners already and Basil Thampi is just another one. For a team which already has enough bowlers in the squad, the team management should have released Thampi who has enough talent and age to find a buyer.

Thampi who was used as a replacement player for Bhuvneshwar Kumar played a few matches. Although he couldn’t fit in the shoes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, he aptly performed what was wanted from him. The major problem of Sunrisers is their weak middle order and the lack of an explosive finisher. Had they released Basil Thampi, the team could have gone for good middle order batsmen or a finisher to fill the roles. Though it isn’t a poor decision to retain Thampi, it would have been wiser to release him and get batsmen in the auction.

5. Delhi Daredevils – Rahul Tewatia

A phrase that would fit the Delhi Daredevils team every year is ‘abundance of talent unmanaged’. Although they are a relatively young side than other teams in the tournament they are yet to make it big in this league. Though they offer a lot of confidence in the paper, they have failed to live up to their expectations.

The team filled with a bunch of youngsters have lacked somewhere all the time which has hurt them in the past. The 25-year-old Rahul Tewatia hailing from Haryana is one among them. Though he has contributed at times, it would be fair to say he has been expensive with the ball.

The other reason why he should have been released is that there’s already Amit Mishra in the team who has enough experience and has been doing the same role perfectly. Though retaining Rahul Tewatia isn’t going to cost them much, releasing him in the auction would have been a good decision.

6. Rajasthan Royals – Stuart Binny

Rajasthan Royals who displayed a stellar show in the inaugural season are yet to replicate the same since then. The team has always been a silent competitor in the game and has shown promises at times to clinch the title with unexpected performances. The inconsistency and poor decision making are the reasons due to which they haven’t been able to repeat what happened in the first season.

Chasing 160+ in the eliminator against Kolkata Knight Riders this year, RR was well placed at the 87-2 at the halfway mark. Wickets were falling and the match was heading towards a thriller during which Rajasthan made the poorest of the decision to send Stuart Binny ahead of in-form Krishnappa Gowtham. Binny failed to guide the team across the line consequently Rajasthan Royals were knocked out of the tournament. Stuart Binny who is an all-rounder has hardly made his presence felt in the recent editions of IPL.

With such poor form, the backing of RR is indeed surprising. The team which has proven all-rounders like Krishnappa Gowtham, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, the backing of Stuart Binny is a poor call. Let’s hope he satisfies the team’s faith over him.

7. Kolkata Knight Riders – Rinku Singh

Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the well-placed team after the end of the trade deadline day. The 3-time champions have always been the team to beat with a right mix of youngsters and experienced players. They had a memorable outing this year though they couldn’t lift the trophy. The new captain Dinesh Karthik did his role perfectly while other players delivered to the expectations.

The team contains an exciting bunch of youngsters like Shubman Gill, Kamalesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi who offer a lot of promise to the team. Rinku Singh is one among those players however he has failed to justify his role in the team. He got to feature in the eleven only a few times and has failed to capitalize those opportunities. Though Rinku Singh isn’t that bad for a team which has retained only 13 players, they should have let him go to make the squad look even more solid.

8. Kings XI Punjab – None

Kings XI Punjab is another team like Delhi Daredevils which offers a lot of confidence but has failed due to different reasons. The 10th edition which concluded this year was no different. They were on a roll winning 5 out of their first 7 games but they gradually lost the plot and weren’t able to make it to the knockouts.

The team has retained only 9 players for the next edition. The players retained looks perfect as all of them have justified their role in the past. KL Rahul and Chris Gayle have a good understanding and have delivered some good starts while Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, and David Miller fit in aptly as middle order batsmen.

Ravichandran Ashwin, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Andrew Tye are the bowlers in the side who have delivered constantly for the team. Thus none of the players on the side needs to be released. If they have a good auction and buy the right players to play around these players, they would form a solid team and be in a good place to clinch the title.