IPL 2022: Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah, Samson retained; Rahul, Pandya, Gill, Dhawan, Iyer enter auction pool

The mega auction will be held before the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL), tentatively slated for January 2022. Ahead of the auction, the existing franchises have been granted the retention policy for four players. Meanwhile, the final list has been reportedly confirmed. Check out the players retained by your favourite franchise, as reported by ESPNCricinfo.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
The defending champion obviously has the most notable retention in the form of its legendary and successful skipper MS Dhoni. Among the others to be retained are all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali, along with opener Ruturaj Gaikwad. It means that the likes of pacers Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur would be attracting bids during the auction.

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Delhi Capitals (DC)
DC is also one of the three sides to go in with four retentions. While it has retained wicketkeeper-skipper Rishabh Pant, it has also stuck with young opener Prithvi Shaw, all-rounder Axar Patel and fierce South African pacer Anrich Nortje. On the other hand, former skipper Shreyas Iyer will be entering the auction, along with veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan and veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
It is the third franchise that has retained four players as well. It is a no-brainer that it has stuck with mystery spinner Sunil Narine. At the same time, explosive all-rounder Andre Russell has also been clutched on to, despite his unstable form of late, especially with the bat. Also, retaining his place is a fast-rising all-rounder and opener Venkatesh Iyer, while mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy too will be sticking around with the side in the coming season. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill will be entering the auction pool.

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Mumbai Indians (MI)
The record five-time winner has decided to retain just a couple of players, as skipper Rohit Sharma and pacer Jasprit Bumrah would be the ones to continue serving the side. Meanwhile, explosive all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be in the auction, along with wicketkeeper-opener Quinton de Kock and fiery pacer Trent Boult.

Punjab Kings (PBKS)
The franchise has decided not to retain any player. As a result, it will be entering the auction with a total purse of ₹90 crore. Interestingly, it has also decided against holding on to its in-form skipper KL Rahul, who will be entering the auction pool now. He is sure to attract heavy bids, possibly making him a contender to become one of the most expensive players in IPL auction history.

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Rajasthan Royals (RR)
The former champion has decided just to retain a player in the form of its wicketkeeper-opener and skipper, Sanju Samson. Also, it is interesting to see that it has decided against keeping classy all-rounder Ben Stokes, wicketkeeper-opener Jos Buttler and effective pacer Jofra Archer. Nevertheless, they too will draw top bidders.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
RCB has decided to retain a couple of players. While its opening choice is obviously its former skipper Virat Kohli, explosive all-rounder Glenn Maxwell will also keep its place with the side. However, pacer Harshal Patel entering the auction pool is a surprise.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
The former champion has just a retention, as skipper Kane Williamson was an obvious choice to retain his spot. Opener David Warner will be entering the auction pool following a reported fallout with the SRH management last season. At the same time, top Afghan spinner Rashid Khan has also not been held on to, which is indeed a surprise, as both would be top draws during the auction.