As per various reports, the newly joined franchises in the Indian Premier League will get an option to pick three players amongst the cricketers released by the existing teams. This process will happen before the auctions. One of the reasons for this is to ensure that all ten franchises remain at a level playing field in the mega-auction. It is also being said that the final decision to get retained or not will rest with the player. In this article, we take a look at five players who might not be available for IPL 2022 mega-auction if their franchise releases them.
1) KL Rahul
KL Rahul is reportedly considering leaving Punjab Kings. Hence, there is a possibility that he could be released by the franchise. If that happens, he is mostly going to be the first pick at the draft for the new franchises. A similar process was done back in 2016, and the highest bidder for the team gets to pick the first player. If BCCI retains the same rules, KL’s next franchise will be based out of Lucknow.
Apart from consistency with the bat, KL comes in with various other qualities. He is clearly a captaincy material and is also a decent wicket-keeper. KL also possesses the potential to become the face of the franchise, something that the new owners might focus on.
2) Shreyas Iyer
Similar to KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer is also reportedly considering leaving his current IPL franchise. One of the reasons could be that at Delhi Capitals, Iyer could get a second preference after Rishabh Pant. Even though he was part of the UAE leg, the management still had Pant as the captain.
For Iyer to grow in his career, he would want to be considered as one of the players who can lead a batting attack. He has already shown the potential. A few consider him to be the future India captain, and IPL is the best platform to showcase the skills. At DC, Iyer may not get that chance. Hence, he might leave, and the new franchise will pick him.
3) David Warner
David Warner is one of the players who might not be available for the IPL 2022 mega-auction if their franchise releases them. As things stand, as Warner himself conceded, Sunrisers Hyderabad is unlikely to retain the Aussie.
Although he is going through a barren run, Warner is still a class player and has plenty of experience in the league, both with the bat and as the captain. Warner himself is looking for a fresh start, and one of the new franchises could offer that by picking him in the draft window.
4) Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav is unlikely to be retained by Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2022 mega-auctions. Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya are ahead of him in the pecking order.
SKY’s form has been impressive in recent IPL seasons. He has scored more than 300 runs at a good rate in every campaign since 2018. SKY, who has almost a decade-experience in IPL, also made his India debut recently. A few teams could also look at him as a captaincy option. Irrespective of that, he still is a quality pick as a pure batsman, especially since very few top domestic batsmen will be available in the auctions. Hence, there is a chance that one of the new teams might pick him.
5) Hardik Pandya
Mumbai Indians might release Hardik Pandya before IPL 2022. In the recently concluded season, Hardik’s form with the bat was disappointing. He is not bowling consistently and is constantly facing injury issues. Therefore, there are chances that MI might release him.
If that happens, the new teams will surely eye him. Especially the Ahmedabad franchise, since Hardik is from Gujarat. They would also get a domestic pace-bowling all-rounder with unreal hitting talent and potential. He has not got the chance to prove it so far, but Hardik could be considered for captaincy in future.
