IPL 2022: 3 retained Indian players who have failed to deliver for their teams

Venkatesh Iyer hasn't been able to replicate his last year's performance so far in IPL 2022.

As we head into the third weekend of IPL 2022, almost all the teams have played five matches each.

This season has already brought surprises as the favorites Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings find themselves at the bottom of the points table. Meanwhile, the new teams, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants, are playing formidable cricket.

Franchises retained their key players ahead of the IPL mega auction but not all of them have clicked so far. Players like Venkatesh Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal have not been able to deliver the kind of performances expected from them in IPL 2022.

Let's look at three Indian players who were retained by their franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 season but have disappointed far in the competition.

#3 Axar Patel

The slow left-arm orthodox bowler was retained by the Delhi Capitals for INR 9 crores this year ahead of Avesh Khan, based on his performances over the past two seasons. The Capitals would have hoped that Axar Patel would have a similar season for them again.

However, Patel has struggled to pick up wickets and has leaked runs at an economy rate of 9.2 in the four matches so far, going wicketless in every game. He has also scored just 68 runs.

Being one of the core members of the DC playing XI, Patel will be eyeing a quick return to form in IPL 2022.

#2 Abdul Samad

The power-hitter from Kashmir was retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction for INR 4 crores, which came as a surprise to many. Abdul Samad played the first two matches of the season, where he failed miserably and scored just four runs for his team.

Samad has been dropped after that and hasn't been given chance in SRH's next three matches. The team management doesn't seem to have the same confidence he had in previous seasons and has been replaced with other uncapped players.

Proper clownery from SRH. Abdul Samad is one of your retentions and then you drop him after just 2 games. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

#1 Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad was the Orange Cap holder of IPL 2021 and was instrumental in Chennai Super Kings lifting the IPL trophy. Hailed as one of the biggest superstars to watch out for, he was retained by CSK for INR 6 crores.

Coming back from an injury, Ruturaj has looked completely out of form. In the first five matches, he has scored 35 runs at an average of 7 and a strike rate of 85.4. Chennai are heavily dependent on Ruturaj to give them a good start to the innings, which he has failed to do in this year's IPL.

The Spark ⚡️ will be back!🤞🏻

Picture Courtesy: IPL/BCCI
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