971 Players Register for Vivo IPL 2020 Players Auction

Ahead of the IPL 2020 players auction every year, IPL franchises release, trade or retain some players to achieve a team that can help win them the IPL trophy. Each squad has 18-25 members with 8 overseas members allowed per squad. 

Last December before the big player auction finalists Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians as well as the ever-consistent Sunrisers Hyderabad chose to retain most of their players. They had very few slots to fill as the main players were already present in their squad. Teams who have struggled (Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab, and Royal Challengers Bangalore) to make it to the finals were looking to completely revamp their squad. Delhi Capitals who had a good run last season also opted to revamp their squad instead of retaining old players.  Players that have had a good season with the franchise are usually up for IPL retention.

Let’s take a look at the big names retained by the eight IPL franchises

VIRAT KOHLI (ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE)

Bangalore did not have a great run at the IPL last year, but the same cannot be said about their captain Virat Kohli. On the contrary, he has had a splendid year across all formats of the game both at home and away, all the while leading the side. He is also one of the most expensive retained IPL player by the Royal Challengers Bangalore at Rs 17 Crores. His never say die attitude and phenomenal batting powers made it easier for the franchise to retain him and also the money was well spent. He is also the costliest IPL player to be retained.

ROHIT SHARMA (MUMBAI INDIANS)

He is famously dubbed the “Hitman” and very rightly so as he is a very dangerous batsman when it comes to the limited over games. A testament to this is the three double hundreds he has to his name.  Retained by the Mumbai franchise he is one of the most expensive players at Rs 15 Crores. Last year he had a wonderful international outing with an average of 24 in T20’s and above 50 in tests and ODI’s. He has also led the Mumbai Indians team to a record 3 trophies.  His teammate and pacer Jasprit Bumrah also made it to the IPL retention list.

MS DHONI (CHENNAI SUPER KINGS)

Dhoni is rightly the prodigal son of Chennai. After a two-year ban on Chennai when they came back in the 2018 season their first order of business was to secure Dhoni. They bought him for a whopping Rs 15 Crores and have retained him up till now and will do so in the future. In the next season hopefully, they are looking forward to a third win at the tournament. 

DAVID WARNER (SUNRISIERS HYDERABAD)

David Warner is one of the most expensive players to be retained by Hyderabad. Warner has pressure to perform well for the team as the team has paid a hefty amount to retain him back. The franchise had even retained him back when he was facing a ban due to the ball-tampering case. 

BEN STOKES (RAJASTHAN ROYALS)

Ben Stokes was roped in by Rajasthan Royals for the 2018 IPL season and has been retained ever since. He is a destructive batsman when it comes to the limited over game. He also played a crucial role in helping England win their maiden ICC World Cup. At Rs 12 Crores he was one of the most expensive players to be bought in the 2018 season. 

DINESH KARTHIK (KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS)

Dinesh Karthik was one of the big names to be retained for the upcoming season of IPL. The franchise announced that he would also be leading the team with newly acquired Eoin Morgan as the vice-captain. 

SHIKHAR DHAWAN (DELHI CAPITALS)

The Delhi franchise chose to retain its top opener, Shikhar Dhawan. Fondly known as ‘Gabbar’ he is the star opener for the franchise and has had a very consistent performance since the inception of IPL in 2008. He plays well both against pace and spin.

K. L. RAHUL (KINGS XI PUNJAB)

Punjab chose to retain K L Rahul who has been on a roll in the current cricketing season. He could also be made captain after R Ashwin was traded to Delhi Capitals. Rahul can be a potent player when in form and a nightmare for the opposition players.