IPL2018 Retention:The Game Changer

The IPL 2018 will mark the eleventh season of this competion and the excitement is already sky high even before four months to this event.The reason is the IPL Retentions which ar supposed to happen on 4 January 7 PM in Mumbai.This blog is about this event and the possible retentions in various teams.
The first big  IPL event is all set to happen and I believe that this would be a one with a lot of surprises.
The rules are set in such a way that the Auction and Retention both are going to be interesting.In my opinion following will be the players retained by various teams.

Kolkata Knight Riders have been the most popular team in all IPL seasons.In my opinion this should be the players retained.

Retention                                       Right to match

Gautam Gambhir                            Kuldeep Yadav

Sunil Narine                                   Shakib Al Hasan/Chris Lynn

Andre Russel

The team should retain players which they can get no where Gautam Gambhir has to one of them.He is the player who has led this team very well and transformed this team.Sunil Narine is the best T-20 spinner and has to be in the team.Andrew Russel is the best all rounder in T-20 at this moment so has to be in the team.Kuldeep Yadav is an important player in India's T-20 side and should find a place in this team.Final selection depends on the pitch of Eden Gardens.If they are going to have slow turning pitches then Shakib Al Hasan else Chris Lynn.

Mumbai Indians have been the most successful team in the entire IPL history.In my opinion this should be the players retained.

Retention                                                 Right to Match

Rohit Sharma                                            Keiron Pollard

Jasprit Bumrah                                         Harbhajan Singh

Hardik Pandya

Rohit Sharma is the face for Mumbai Indians.Jasprit Bumrah is the player I have chosen in place of  Lasith Malinga,hence big shoes to fill in.Hardik Pandya is the best T-20 all rounder for India at this moment.Keiron Pollard is a fiercy player and a wonderful all rounder.He is the find of Mumbai Indians,hence has to be in the team.Harbhajan Singh is the player which many will argue but he is the only one of two players who has been in the same team since 10 years.May be his performance has faded but surely his experience and skill has not.So he should be in the team. 

The most intersting retentions will be seen in this team because it is a team full of superstars.In my opinion this should be the players retained.

Retention                                             Right to match

Virat Kohli                                            Chris Gayle

Ab De Villers                                        K.L Rahul

Yujvendra Chahal

Ab De Villers is the most valuable T-20 batsman.Yujvendra Chahal has done acceptionally well for India in T-20s.Chris Gayle should be retained because he has the ability to demolish the opponent team in his own.He holds almost all T-20 records.Though he is not at his best but when he gets going then there is no substitute.I hope RCB don't repeat the mistake which KKR did few years back.KL Rahul makes it only because Shane Watson is not playing upto his ability.Virat Kohli is the most important key in the whole IPL retention.RCB would definitely want to retain him but will he agree with 15 crores.Certainly he has more valueable if not as a player then atleast still as a player for sponsorors.Now this will be a check of character fir Kohli.Will he hold on to a team which has backed him for 10 long years,at times when he had underperformed or will he go to the auctions?If he goes to the auctions then RCB should retain only two players and retain Kohli instead of Rahul using right to match card.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have been the emerging team in the IPL.In my opinion this should be the players retained.

Retention                                                    Right to Match

David Warner                                              Shikhar Dhawan

Bhuvneshwar Kumar                                  Yuvraj Singh

Kane Willamson

David Warner must be the captain of this side.Bhuvneshwar Kumar must be their strike bowler.Kane Willamson is the best New Zealand player.Another reason for retaining him is because if they let him go then he will be a big hunt for the teams who require a strong captain and eventually his price would cross 7 Crore.Shikhar Dhawan has been good this season hence should be retained.Yuvraj Singh still finds place in the hearts of cricket fans.His all round abilities should find him a place in the team(surely less than 7 Crores).

Chennai Super Kings is the most awaited comeback in this year's IPL.In my opinion this should be the players retained.

Retention                                                    Right to Match

M.S. Dhoni                                                  Fab Du Plesis

Suresh Raina                                               Brendon McCulum

Dwayne Bravo

M.S Dhoni will be back as the captain of CSK.Suresh Raina is the most successful IPL batsman hence has to be in the team.Dwayne Bravo is an amazing bowler with a lot of variations and should surely retain him.Fab Du Plesis is the South African captain and is an amazing players too,especially in T-20 format.Brendon McCulum the attacking opener for New Zealand has actually been the most entertaining player in T20s.He surely needs to find a place in the team.Now why not Ashwin and Jadeja?The answer is that both of them have been out of Indian T-20 team for quiet sometime.Also Chennai have an all rounder in face of Dwayne Bravo,hence even if they make it they have to with their bowling abilities.But tje fact remains Ashwin is a good bowler only on spinning pitches and Chennai is not the place where he would find one.

Rajasthan Royals is the team that has been worst hit by the suspension as most of their players had joined teams other that Pune and Gujrat.

Retention                                                         Right to match

Ajinkya Rahane                                             Dhawal Kulkarni

Steve Smith                                                   Rajat Bhatia

James Faulkner

These are the only five players Rajasthan can retain hence it is not very difficult to think.But as there is a buzz that they might not retain three players,I must tell that Rahane.Smith and Faulkner are quality players and if they let go any one of them then they would surely be bid above 11 Crores.Some suggest to let go James Faulkner but I believe that it would be a big mistake because his batting at the death is a bonus on his bowling and this is a very difficult combination to find.

 

Talking about the Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab,they are the teams which have not been able to find the right team in all seasons.The reason is that they have failed to find a captain who can lead the team.The last time Punjab was able to find one(George Bailey),they went on to reach the finals.I believe that they should go to the IPL with no retentions and build a team in the auction.They can smartly use their right to match cards and assign correct value to correct players in the auction.But most importantly find a captain for their team,however costly it may cost.Most probably Kohli would opt to take part in auction and they should hunt for him,that is the key for these teams.

One should note that right to match should only be used if they get the players below 7 Crores otherwise their is not point of releasing them in auction.

Finally I believe that the retention would be full of surprises.On the similar grounds we would also have auctions as interesting as the retentions.All the teams can sign the players for three years but they can release the players in December if they wish to do so.My whole retention prediction is around this very rule and that is the reason teams should go for the players even if they have a hint of doubt in their prices.

Below are the rules of retention that would make this blog even more clear.

1. A team can retain a maximum of five players which should include

•    Maximum number of 3 Capped Indian players.  
•    Maximum number of 2 Overseas players.
•    Maximum number of 2 Uncapped Indian players.

2. These five retentions can be done in two forms

• Directly retaining players(Maximum three).

If three players are retained by a franchise, they will be down by Rs 33 Crore (15 Crore for the first player retained, 11 Crore for the second and 7 for the third).

If two players are retained by a franchise, they will be down by Rs 21 Crore. (12.5 Crore for the first player retained and 8.5 Crore for the second).

If only one player is retained by a franchise, they will be down by Rs 12.5 Crore.

If the player retained is an uncapped player, they will be down by Rs 3 Crore for each uncapped player retained.

• By using right to match card(Maximum two)

In this case the player goes into the auction but the franchaise can use this card to bring back the player in the same amount as bid in the auction.