Predicting 1 surprise release from each team for IPL 2024 ft. Harshal Patel and RCB 

The T20 fever is about to kick in as the IPL player auction for the 2024 season is less than a month away. The IPL 2024 auction will take place in Dubai on December 19.

Ahead of the mini-auction, the BCCI has asked all 10 teams to submit their lists of released players by Sunday (November 26) at 4:00 p.m. IST. Every year, there are a lot of surprises on the released players lists.

Generally speaking, teams let go players who didn't perform well the previous year. However, due to their price tags and team combinations, certain players also lose their contracts.

On that note, we will attempt to predict the one unexpected release that every IPL franchise might make prior to the 2024 auction.

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#10 Kolkata Knight Riders - Lockie Ferguson

Lockie Ferguson for Kolkata Knight Riders [KKR Instagram]

After playing for three consecutive seasons (from 2019 to 2021) for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Lockie Ferguson was part of the Gujarat Titans' title-winning campaign in 2022. However, KKR traded back the Kiwi speedster from Gujarat for a hefty fee of ₹10.75 crore ahead of IPL 2023.

Ferguson went on to play just three IPL 2023 matches for KKR as he struggled with a hamstring injury during the season. In those three games, he bagged only one wicket at a poor average of 96.00.

The 32-year-old played a minor role in the recent ODI World Cup 2023 for New Zealand. He was afflicted with an Achilles injury. This might prompt KKR management to release Ferguson and free up ₹10.75 crore for the mini-auction.

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#9 Rajasthan Royals - Jason Holder

A team which has lacked all-rounders for a couple of seasons now, Rajasthan Royals (RR) went in for Jason Holder at the 2023 player auction. The first-ever IPL champions bagged the lanky all-rounder for ₹5.75 crore.

Unfortunately for RR, Holder had a forgettable IPL 2023. Across eight games in the tournament, Holder claimed just four wickets at an average of 71, while making just 11 runs from the three times he got to bat.

Rajasthan might look to off-load Holder ahead of the next season and search for another overseas all-rounder. They can use Holder's sum to bid for Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai, who had a terrific 2023 ODI World Cup.

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#8 Sunrisers Hyderabad - Harry Brook

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Harry Brook for Sunrisers Hyderabad [Getty Images]

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) finished last on the IPL 2023 points table. SRH invested big money in several players in the last IPL auction, as they bought the likes of Harry Brook (₹13.25 crore) and Mayank Agarwal (₹8.5 crore), but it backfired big time for them.

Most of their players, including big-money purchase Harry Brook, underperformed hugely. The Englishman, who played his maiden IPL season, managed to pile up just 190 runs at an average of 21.11 across 11 innings for the Orange Army.

Releasing Brook will open up ₹13.25 crore for SRH, who can then look to invest the money in other overseas stars.

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#7 Punjab Kings - Sam Curran

Sam Curran for Punjab Kings [Getty Images]

Punjab Kings (PBKS) have the most expensive player in IPL history with them in the form of Sam Curran. After the English all-rounder became the 'Player of the Tournament' at the T20 World Cup 2022, he was snapped up by the Punjab franchise for a humongous fee of ₹18.50 crore.

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However, Curran's returns in the IPL 2023 didn't do justice to his price tag. Playing all 14 games for PBKS, Curran managed to bag 10 wickets at a disappointing economy rate of over 10.20.

With the bat, Curran scored 276 runs at a strike rate of 136 and an average of over 27.

Although he can be a real match-winner on his day, Punjab might look to offload Curran purely because of his hefty fee.

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#6 Delhi Capitals - Anrich Nortje

Anrich Nortje in action for Delhi Capitals [Getty Images]

This year hasn't been kind to Anrich Nortje. The South African speedster missed a few games of the IPL 2023 and was forced to sit out for an ODI series against Australia before getting ruled out for the entire 2023 ODI World Cup.

He is currently injured as well, nursing a stress fracture in his back. Nortje, who is a genuine threat with his rapid speeds, has done well for the Delhi Capitals (DC). He has played four seasons for DC, claiming 53 wickets at an average of 24.15.

However, his frequent injuries might force Delhi to consider his release. Nortje is currently under a ₹6.50 crore contract. If the franchise goes on to release the star pacer, they will be eager to have one of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, or Gerald Coetzee in the mix ahead of the next season.

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#5 Gujarat Titans - Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya posing with Rohit Sharma [Getty Images]

The Hardik Pandya-Mumbai Indians saga is currently the hottest topic among IPL fans. After all, it all came as a surprising development when ESPNCricinfo reported that the Gujarat Titans (GT) had agreed to trade Pandya to his former franchise, the Mumbai Indians (MI), in an all-cash deal.

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Although neither of the two franchises has confirmed anything as of yet, the move is believed to have already taken place. If the deal goes through, it will surely be the biggest and most shocking move in IPL history.

Pandya has been the MVP for the Titans in the previous two seasons, having finished with them at the No. 1 spot in both seasons, including a title-winning campaign in 2022. While the move would certainly make MI strong on paper, GT might do well with a ₹15 crore boost in their auction purse.

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#4 Lucknow Super Giants - Mark Wood

Mark Wood celebrating a wicket for Lucknow Super Giants [Getty Images]

Mark Wood was picked up by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at a price tag of ₹7.50 crore at the IPL 2022 auction. The Englishman missed the entire 2022 season with an elbow injury. Next year, he got to play only four games, in which he did extremely well.

Across the 2023 edition, Wood bagged 11 wickets at an impressive average of 11.82. However, the English pacer was unable to play at the business end of the tournament as he went back home due to the birth of his second child.

While it may surprise a few, LSG can think of releasing Wood ahead of the upcoming player auction. The sole reason why Lucknow could entertain the thought of releasing Wood would be due to the surface in Lucknow.

The pitch at Ekana Stadium is known for its sluggish nature. Wood's extreme pace might just prove to be handy for the opposition batters. Lucknow could instead look for pacers with disciplined change-of-pace variations in their arsenal.

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#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore - Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel for Royal Challengers Bangalore [Getty Images]

Harshal Patel came as a revelation for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at IPL 2021, where the right-armer took 32 wickets. Next year, he claimed 19 more wickets due to his guile and effectiveness.

Notably, both of those seasons were played in the UAE and Maharashtra, respectively. However, Harshal has some contrasting numbers while playing in Bengaluru.

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At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Harshal has played 23 matches and has taken 20 wickets at a substandard economy rate of 9.30. It was his cutters which made him efficient on slower surfaces.

However, RCB's home ground is a pure batting paradise. Hence the Bangalore-based franchise might consider releasing Harshal, who is currently on a huge ₹10.75 crore deal.

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#2 Chennai Super Kings - Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes in the middle for CSK [Getty Images]

That Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will release Ben Stokes is all but confirmed after the English Test captain pulled out of the 2024 season for workload management.

Releasing Stokes will mean that CSK will enjoy a boost of ₹16.25 crore in their purse. Additionally, they will also free up ₹6.75 crore as Ambati Rayudu, who announced his retirement ahead of the IPL 2023 final, will no longer play in the tournament.

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CSK will be the franchise with one of the biggest purses at the 2024 IPL player auction. One area where the five-time champions can invest the money might be on the replacement for Moeen Ali, who earns ₹8 crore per year at the franchise.

The English all-rounder, who had a middling IPL 2023, will turn 37 next June. In 15 IPL games last season, Moeen made just 195 runs and took only nine wickets for CSK.

The Yellow Army should look to bring in fresh blood in the form of Rachin Ravindra, who can fit in a similar role. Australia's Travis Head might be an equally good option for them.

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#1 Mumbai Indians - Tim David

Tim David hitting one out of the park for Mumbai Indians [Getty Images]

If Hardik Pandya does return to the Mumbai Indians (MI), the franchise will be obligated to release one big-money player, if not two.

While the speculations are surrounding the likes of Cameron Green and Jofra Archer, MI might ponder letting Tim David go. The hard-hitting finisher was picked up by the franchise ahead of IPL 2022 for a fee of ₹8.25 crore.

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While David has not done much wrong for MI so far, Mumbai might not want to release a top-quality bowler in Jofra Archer. Although Archer has been hugely injury-prone, Mumbai's bland bowling attack dearly needs him.

In the batting group, however, Mumbai already have a few players who can play the role of a finsiher. The likes of Nehal Wadhera, Hardik Pandya (if he arrives), Cameron Green, and Tristan Stubbs can all add firepower. Additionally, MI also traded in Romario Shepherd from LSG earlier this month.

Keeping all these factors in mind, Tim David might be the player to face the music in order to free up some funds to sign Hardik.

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