Kohli, Dhoni set to be retained
MUMBAI: In preparation for the 2018 IPL season, franchises will make their first move on Thursday when they submit the list of players they want to retain. Each team can retain up to three players, and among the eight franchises, those likely to benefit the most are Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The top three names MI want are captain Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah. But as of Wednesday it was not clear whether they would retain Bumrah or look to get him in the auction with the Right-to-match card. Then, uncapped Krunal Pandya could be the third player MI retain. RCB and CSK will have Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni as first names on the list. CSK will also look to retain Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja.
Teams can retain five players, of which up to three can be capped Indian players, two uncapped Indian players, and two overseas players. Those retained (maximum of three) won’t go into the auction pool. Teams will get a second chance to hold on to a player on their 2017 roster (2015 for RR and CSK) by using the RTM card.
With big names such as AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle in their 2017 line-up, RCB have a tough choice. They also have to consider Yuzvendra Chahal, their most impressive bowler, and India opener KL Rahul.
Holders Sunrisers Hyderabad will focus on skipper David Warner, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shikhar Dhawan and Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan.
RR will aim to keep Aussie skipper Steve Smith and Ajinkya Rahane. The auction will be held on January 27 and 28.