Delhi Capitals (DC) are set to retain four players ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction. The retentions are set to be announced officially on November 30, 2021.
Meanwhile, a report published in ESPNcricinfo claims that DC will retain players and they include wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, spin all-rounder Akshar Patel, South African pacer Anrich Nortje and swashbuckling opener Prithvi Shaw.
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Notably, Pant led Delhi to the playoffs stage in IPL 2021 and it seems that the franchise will continue with him as captain.
The notable names missing on the retention list feature Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, R Ashwin, and Kagiso Rabada.
As per the same report, Iyer himself decided to opt out of the retained players list as he wants to enter the auction pool for the 2022 season.
It is worth mentioning here that Shreyas had sustained a shoulder injury and missed the first half of the IPL 2021, which saw Pant being appointed as Delhi’s captain. Although Iyer returned to the side for the IPL 14 second phase, the DC management decided to continue with Pant as skipper.
As a captain, Shreyas Iyer had done a brilliant job for the Capitals. He led the franchise to the playoffs and final in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The report further suggested that he can also be roped in by one of the two new franchises – Ahmedabad and Lucknow – next season.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Pant was the first name on the Capitals' retention list and Iyer was next in line but as soon as he opted out, Shaw took the second spot.
The report also says that Nortje faced stiff competition from his Proteas team-mate Rabada while Akshar’s battle was with veteran opening batter Dhawan. However, DC opted to go with Nortje for his ability to pick up early wickets and exceptional economy rate in the death overs whereas Akshar was preferred for his all-round package.
As per the retention rules, the existing eight franchises can retain a maximum of 4 players (up to three Indians or utmost two overseas players) from their IPL 2021 squads while the two new teams will be able to acquire three players from the player pool before the mega auction.
(With ESPNcricinfo inputs)
