The IPL 2024 player auction will be held on December 19 in Dubai; it is the first time the auction will be held overseas. Ahead of the auction, all ten IPL franchises will be preparing their strategies on which players to retain and which players to let go. In this article, we will take a look at three players from all ten IPL franchises which be released ahead of the 2024 auction. Let us take a look:
1. Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Under the leadership of MS Dhoni, CSK went on to win its record fifth title in IPL 2023. The Men in Yellow will now have a decision to make on which players to release ahead of the IPL auction. Struggling with injuries, Ben Stokes might be first name to come up in the list. It must be noted that CSK spent a huge sum of Rs 16.25 crore on him. But Stokes only played two matches in the season as he was unavailable due to an injury.
Apart from Stokes, the five-time champs might also release the likes of Dwaine Pretorius and pacer Aakash Singh. Pretorius played only one match in IPL 2023. On the other hand, Aakash Singh who scalped five wickets in his six IPL appearances might be released as the likes of Mukesh Choudhary and Deepak Chahar are expected to be fully available for the next edition.
2. Gujarat Titans (GT)
Finalists of last year’s IPL, Gujarat Titans have some decisions to make before the upcoming auction. It will be interesting to see if the former IPL champs retain pacer Yash Dayal after his horrific last over against KKR last year. GT might also be tempted to release foreign all-rounders including Dasun Shanaka and Odean Smith.
While Odean did not feature in any game in IPL 2023, Dasun Shanaka failed to give any impression with both bat and the ball. Overall, Shanaka played three matches and amassed just 26 runs.
3. Mumbai Indians (MI)
The five-time champs Mumbai Indians might release the likes of Chris Jordan, Riley Meredith and Sandeep Warrier from the squad. After missing the entire IPL 2023, express pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Jhye Richardson and Jofra Archer are expected to be available for the next season. As a result, MI will look to release some pacers and try to grab some all-rounders in the upcoming IPL auction.
4. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Just like Mumbai, RCB might also be releasing pacers including Siddharth Kaul and Reece Topley. The Red Army has a decent pace attack with Mohammed Siraj and Harshal Patel taking the lead role. RCB might also be tempted to rope in premier pacer Mitchell Starc once again in the upcoming IPL auction.
In the batting department, RCB might release the likes of Finn Allen or Dinesh Karthik. Thanks to their strong top-order, Allen did not played a single game in last IPL. On the other hand, Karthik couldn’t repeat his finishing antics of IPL 2022 as he managed to score just 140 runs in 13 games.
5. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Sunrisers Hyderabad had a very poor outing in IPL 2023. Nothing went well for the Orange Army as they languished at the bottom of the points table. SRH will be looking to revamp their squad in the upcoming IPL auction. The likes of Akeal Hosein, Adil Rashid, and batter Samarth Vyas can be released from the squad as the Hyderabad camp will look to turn things around in the upcoming IPL edition.
6. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Just like SRH, Kolkata Knight Riders also had a poor IPL season last year. The plan to spend heavily on the likes of Shardul Thakur and Lockie Ferguson backfired for KKR big time. Thakur who was bagged for a whooping sum of INR 10.75 crores rarely bowled in the last IPL edition. Similarly, Ferguson who was traded from GT also failed to perform.
Bangladeshi opener Litton Das was also given a few chances in the opening department but he couldn’t score much. On the other hand, Jason Roy made full use of the opportunity as he gave some blistering starts to KKR putting him ahead of Das as far as the retention list goes.
7. Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Under the leadership of Shikhar Dhawan, PBKS managed to win just 6 out of their 14 games. PBKS batting wasn’t upto the mark as they also missed their senior batter Jonny Bairstow. Ahead of the IPL auction, the Kings will be tempted to release the likes of Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Shahrukh Khan and even Sam Curran and try to re-purchase them in the auction. To note, PBKS paid a hefty sum of INR 24.75 crores to bag the above-mentioned players for IPL 2023.
8. Delhi Capitals (DC)
Lack of experience in batting order and repeated poor outings with the ball meant that DC finished second last in IPL 2023. The likes of Chetan Sakariya and Lungi Ngidi might be released from the DC squad as they have ample options in the bowling department. On the other hand, youngster Yash Dhull seems to be the prime contender in batting department after under-performing in the last IPL.
9. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Despite getting regular chances at top of the order, Indian batters Deepak Hooda and Manan Vohra failed to get going for Lucknow in the last edition. Hence, both Hooda and Vohra might be shown the exit door from LSG squad. On the other hand, Lucknow management recently released all-rounder Romario Shepherd from the squad as he joined Mumbai Indians.
10. Rajasthan Royals (RR)
After acquiring his services in the last IPL auction, Joe Root could not deliver for Rajasthan Royals the in last IPL edition. Coming to bat at the number 3 position, Root managed to score just 10 runs in three games. However, he did not come out to bat on two occasions due to his lack of power-hitting.
Clearly, Root did not fit in the Rajasthan’s squad and might be released by the former IPL champs. RR might also release the wicketkeeper-batter Donovan Ferreira as he did not feature in any IPL match last year. In the spin department, KC Cariappa might face the axe with Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin and Murugan Ashwin doing a very fine job for the Royals.
