Former New Zealand cricketer Daniel Vettori has named four players that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) should retain ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.
The deadline to retain players is nearing soon. The eight original franchises have been given the time till 30th November to submit their retention list.
Each franchise can retain a total of four players. They can opt for different combinations like three Indians and one overseas or two Indians and two overseas players while the two new teams will be allowed to pick a maximum of three non retained players.
As per some reports, many franchises have already made the decision and are just waiting to make an official announcement. Talking about Royal Challengers Bangalore, reports suggested that the Bangalore-based franchise has only retained Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell.
Although there’s no official confirmation about retentions, former RCB player and coach Daniel Vettori has named 4 players that he wants the franchise to retain.
While speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Daniel Vettori picked Virat Kohli, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, and Glenn Maxwell as his four retentions for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
He said that AB de Villiers retiring from the game has made RCB avoid the dilemma as it would’ve been very difficult for them to figure out who they should retain.
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“RCB have avoided a dilemma with AB de Villiers retiring. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for them to figure who they had to retain – it would have been a tough balancing act. But Chahal’s performance last year means he has to stay with the franchise,” Daniel Vettori said.
Vettori further explained the reason behind Chahal’s retention, saying that the way the leg-spinner bowled recently he has to be one of the most obvious picks.
“If you had asked me a year or 18 months ago [about Chahal’s retention], then we could have had a relevant debate. But the way he bowled recently, it’s a no-brainer to retain him for me,” he said.
Notably, Yuzvendra Chahal failed to make an impact in the first phase of IPL 2021, which took place in India, as he took only four wickets in the 7 seven games. The leg-spinner then staged a great comeback and scalped 14 wickets in just 8 games in the UAE leg of the tournament.
(ESPNCricinfo inputs)