IPL 2022 Auction: Mumbai Indians to release Hardik Pandya?

The retention policy for the IPL 2022 is more or less set. Meanwhile, there are reports that Hardik Pandya could be released by Mumbai Indians, owing to his poor run with his form.

The 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) would witness the mega auction, tentatively scheduled for January next year. Also, with a couple of new teams (Ahmedabad and Lucknow) joining next season, the auction pool would be bigger and even more intense. Meanwhile, the retention policy is reportedly set to four players per team by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

However, according to PTI, explosive Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya is likely to be released by his franchise Mumbai Indians (MI), owing to his poor run of form with the bat. At the same time, he has limited his bowling abilities. A senior IPL official said that skipper Rohit Sharma and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah are likely to be the two significant retentions, besides adding that veteran vice-captain Kieron Pollard could be the third.

As for Pandya, he still has a chance to fire and rise again as one of the best for Team India in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. However, the chances are that he is unlikely to be retained. As for the fourth retention, either Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan are the likely contenders.

The reason for the same supposedly happens to be his restricted all-round abilities, as his troubled back is unlikely to make him a full-time bowler who can consistently bowl at a pace of 130 km/h. Also, his batting has taken a hit of late. However, MI can still re-purchase him during the auction if he fits in its budget, as per the official.

As far as his bowling in the T20WC is concerned, a source told ANI that during IPL 2021, he got a stiff back as he was bowling in the nets, while he missed a couple of games. However, he did bat and bowl on Wednesday at the nets, indicating that his back is now holding up well. Thus, skipper Virat Kohli might have an extra bowling option soon, while Pandya feels that he should be able to bowl from the knockouts.