IPL player retention: Kohli, Rohit, Dhoni among those retained; Rahul, Rashid released

Senior Indian players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Mahendra Singh Dhoni were retained by their respective franchises while heavyweights like Rashid Khan and KL Rahul were released in the IPL player retention on Monday.

Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians opted to retain 4 players each. Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad have retained three players each while Punjab Kings have retained two. The PBKS thus have the highest salary purse available with Rs 72 crore while Delhi Capitals have least at Rs 47.50 to be used at the mega auction.

Of the 27 retained players, 8 are overseas and 4 are uncapped Indians.

Among some of the big names that weren’t retained by their frespective ranchises were David Warner, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Shikhar Dhawan, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kagiso Rabada, Shreyas Iyer, Jofra Archer, Faf du Plessis and Ben Stokes.

IPL retention as it happened: CSK retain Dhoni, Jadeja; PBKS leave Rahul out, SRH leave Rashid out

Here’s a look at the retained players ahead of the mega IPL auction:

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kohli: Rs 15 crore

Glenn Maxwell: Rs 11 crore

Mohammed Siraj: Rs 7 crore

Budget remaining: Rs 57 crore

Virat Kohli (quotes not verbatim): “The journey continues, I’ve been retained by RCB. This means so much to me. I believe the best is yet to come, I have a good feeling about what’s to come in the coming seasons. The fans and management have been amazing. I’m very, very grateful and excited. It will be a new version of me but I’ll be there with my heart and soul on the field.”

Mumbai Indians

Rohit Sharma: Rs 16 crore

Jasprit Bumrah: Rs 12 crore

Suryakumar Yadav: Rs 8 crore

Kieron Pollard: Rs 6 crore

Budget remaining: Rs 48 crore

Rohit Sharma (quotes not verbatim): “It was always going to be the toughest retention this year. We have had solid, solid players and to release them was absolutely heartbreaking. But we’ve got four players, including myself, and hopefully we can form a good core for the team. The immediate goal is to form a solid team, we’ll try to find the right players and fill the spots. Our scouts are doing a fantastic job keeping an eye on the cricket in India and around the world, I have complete faith in them.”

Punjab Kings

Mayank Agarwal: Rs *12 crore

Arshdeep Singh: Rs 4 crore

Budget remaining: Rs 72 crore

Arshdeep Singh: “I’m from Punjab and feel lucky to get to play for my home team. I’m very happy.”

*Corrected from Rs 14 crore but the value deducted from the purse is still Rs 14 crore overall because that is the minimum prescribed amount for player 1

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Kane Williamson: Rs 14 crore

Abdul Samad: Rs 4 crore

Umran Malik: Rs 4 crore

Budget remaining: Rs 68 crore

Kane Williamson: “It’s a privilege to be involved with SRH and I look forward to the challenges ahead.”

Chennai Super Kings

Ravindra Jadeja: Rs 16 crore

Mahendra Singh Dhoni: Rs 12 crore

Moeen Ali: Rs 8 crore

Ruturaj Gaikwad: Rs 6 crore

Budget remaining: Rs 48 crore

Ruturaj Gaikwad: “Extremely happy, privileged and honoured. I thank the CSK management for retaining me.”

Delhi Capitals

Rishabh Pant: Rs 16 crore

Axar Patel: Rs 9* crore

Prithvi Shaw: Rs 7.5 crore

Anrich Nortje: Rs 6.5 crore

Budget remaining: Rs 47.5 crore

Anrich Nortje: “Really excited to be staying with Delhi. Super happy to be retained. So far it’s been an unbelievable journey, have learnt so much from everyone.”

*Even though Rs 12 cr not spent as per prescribed slab, franchise will lose equivalent amount from purse

Kolkata Knight Riders

Andre Russell: Rs *12 crore

Varun Chakravarthy: Rs 8* crore

Venkatesh Iyer: Rs 8 crore

Sunil Narine: Rs 6 crore

Budget remaining: Rs 48 crore

Andre Russell: “I would wear the KKR logo to dinner, while travelling or just walking around. It’s actually amazing that these guys have continued to show me the love after so many years.”

*Even though Rs 16 cr or 12 cr not spent as per prescribed slab, franchise will lose equivalent amount from purse.