IPL 2022 Auction: 3 Indian players who might not be retained after their T20 World Cup 2021 performance
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been blamed for India's disappointing show in the 2021 T20 World Cup, but the truth of the matter is that the country's marquee T20 competition isn't going anywhere.
The T20 World Cup is almost a week from completion, but the IPL 2022 mega-auction is already on the horizon. Apart from different auction rules and salary caps, the auction will also see the participation of two new franchises. As the most recent premier T20 competition, the T20 World Cup will undoubtedly influence franchises' thinking at the IPL 2022 auction.
Here are three Indian players who might not be retained by their respective IPL franchises as a result of their performance in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar - played for SRH in IPL 2021
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's form wasn't great coming into the T20 World Cup, but India would've hoped that their experienced seamer would find some rhythm on the big stage. Unfortunately for them, Bhuvneshwar's only outing of the tournament saw him concede 25 runs in an unthreatening three-over spell against Pakistan. He lost his place in the team as India first moved towards Shardul Thakur and then opted to use a three-spinner strategy.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) don't have several potential retentions, with the franchise appearing to have moved on from David Warner. Kane Williamson's T20 batting form has waned a touch recently, making Rashid Khan the only sureshot retention. But with experienced overseas players like Jonny Bairstow in the mix, apart from a variety of young Indian talents like Abdul Samad, SRH are unlikely to retain the injury-prone and aging Bhuvneshwar.
Had Bhuvneshwar performed well in the T20 World Cup, SRH might've been convinced otherwise, especially since the franchise doesn't have too many guaranteed retentions. However, he might find himself back in the IPL auction pool for the first time since 2014.
#2 Mohammed Shami - played for PBKS in IPL 2021
Mohammed Shami blew hot and cold at the T20 World Cup. He started off with an expensive spell against Pakistan, after which he was on the receiving end of an ugly torrent of abuse on social media. The senior paceman then bowled only one over against New Zealand, going for 11 runs.
Shami, under serious pressure at that point, desperately needed a good outing. He got just that in the game against Afghanistan, where he went for a few runs but picked up three valuable wickets. He followed it up with an impressive three-fer against Scotland, but again reverted to a poor display in India's final Super 12 game.
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) are reportedly considering not retaining KL Rahul, which might free up a spot for Shami. Even if PBKS choose to retain Rahul by giving him a salary hike, they don't have many other viable retentions apart from Mayank Agarwal and possibly Arshdeep Singh. However, Shami is 31 years old and his T20 bowling credentials took a hit at the T20 World Cup.
PBKS might've been persuaded otherwise had Shami done better at the T20 World Cup, but they are unlikely to consider retaining a fast bowler who has only a couple of years of his prime left.
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#1 Ishan Kishan - played for MI in IPL 2021
Ishan Kishan endured a disappointing IPL 2021 campaign with the Mumbai Indians (MI) which was salvaged only by a couple of attacking innings in the last few games of the league stage. Despite his poor IPL showing, though, the young southpaw found a place in India's T20 World Cup side as a reserve opener, largely due to his limited exploits for the country in T20Is.
An injury to Suryakumar gave Kishan the opportunity to make a statement, but he squandered it. He whipped a poor delivery from Trent Boult straight to the sole fielder in the deep as India effectively crashed out of the T20 World Cup and didn't play any further games in the tournament.
While Kishan was missing from the playing XI, MI's other stars impressed. Rohit Sharma struck two fifties to finish as India's second-highest scorer, while Jasprit Bumrah shone throughout to end the tournament as the team's joint-highest wicket-taker. Even the much-maligned Hardik Pandya played a fiery cameo against Afghanistan to showcase his evidently still-present hitting prowess and made a return to the bowling crease.
With IPL franchises likely to be allowed to retain a maximum of three Indian players, MI might stick by their previous retention strategy and go with the trio of Rohit, Bumrah and Hardik. Kishan might be forced into the IPL 2022 auction pool, although MI will definitely try to re-acquire him in that case.