As per a few recent reports, BCCI could allow maximum retention of two overseas cricketers for each of the existing franchises. If a team releases an elite foreign cricketer, it might be hard to buy them back at the auctions. This is because the newly joined teams are likely to have an option to pick a few cricketers before entering the auctions. Therefore, we might witness a few quality batsmen getting retained by the existing teams. In this article, we take a look at five overseas batsmen who could get retained ahead of IPL 2022 by their respective franchises.
1) Kane Williamson
Midway through IPL 2021, Sunrisers Hyderabad announced Kane Williamson as the skipper of the franchise. Although the Kiwi was the second-highest run-scorer for the franchise in IPL 2021, his record of 266 runs in 10 games did not help SRH much.
Kane has also been inconsistent when it comes to the recent T20I form. The cost of retention is high, and SRH might ponder about retaining Kane Williamson. That said, he is a quality player and is one of the best captains in the game. He is sure to get back his form with the bat soon. Hence, SRH might retain him.
2) Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler is one of the overseas batsmen who could get retained ahead of IPL 2022 by their respective franchises. The Englishman missed the UAE leg of IPL 2021 but yet ended up as the second-highest run-scorer in the competition. Buttler has been of similar importance for the Royals camp for the last few seasons.
Most importantly, the wicket-keeper batsman is in top form for England, as well. He even scored a century in the T20 World Cup. RR might retain Sanju Samson, but if the Kerala player comes under pressure, they can transfer the captaincy duties to Buttler. Of course, Buttler can also fill in as a wicket-keeper whenever required. These reasons might prompt RR to retain him.
3) AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers was not exactly at his best in the UAE leg of IPL 2021. In India, though, he was his usual self. If the South African does not retire from the game, Royal Challengers Bangalore is sure to retain him.
ABD’s association with RCB is strong and apart from the on-field brilliance that the South African brings to the table, from a brand perspective, as well, ABD is important. His batting exploits are well-known and with Virat Kohli stepping down as the captain, someone like ABD in the team would help the new captain.
4) Faf du Plessis
Faf du Plessis is one of the overseas batsmen who could get retained ahead of IPL 2022. The South African has been in top form in IPL over the last two seasons. While he top-scored for CSK in IPL 2020, he made over 600 runs for them in the recently concluded campaign.
Although Faf may not have age on his side, he looks fit enough to carry on for at least two more years. CSK might consider this and retain the player so that they keep the successful opening combination of him and Ruturaj Gaikwad intact. Also, if MS Dhoni retires, CSK would be in need of a few leaders on the field and Faf can certainly be one of them.
5) Shimron Hetmyer
Shimron Hetmyer scored only 242 runs in IPL 2021, but his strike rate of 168 pulled Delhi Capitals out of the hole on numerous occasions. He delivered useful cameos despite playing out of position in the batting line-up.
If Shreyas Iyer wants to leave the franchise, Delhi could turn their heads towards the West Indian. He is young and will only improve. Hetmyer has already forged a good middle-order combination with Rishabh Pant, and this could help the franchise in the long run.
