Fifty-seven players have been released by eight Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises ahead of the 2021 auction, to be held next month. They include Mumbai Indians’ fast bowling great Lasith Malinga, former Rajasthan Royals captain Steve Smith, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, and Kings XI Punjab all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have released the most number of players, 10, though it is noteworthy that among them are wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel, who announced his retirement from all cricket recently, and veteran South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn, who had opted out of the IPL in the first week of this month.
Delhi Capitals said in a statement that they have traded all-rounders Harshal Patel and Daniel Sams to RCB. They are, however, yet to name the players that would possibly come from RCB as part of the trading window, which is open until about a week before the auction.
The Indian cricket board is yet to announce the auction date. Some of the important trade-offs are mentioned as follows:
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) have reposed faith in all-rounders Jason Holder and Mitchell Marsh and retained them, along with their core group of players, ahead of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction expected to be held in mid-February.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
Chennai Super Kings have released Harbhajan Singh and Kedar Jadhav, along with four other players, for the Indian Premier League 2021 season. KINGS XI PUNJAB Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is among nine players released by Kings XI Punjab ahead of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, the franchise said on Wednesday.
MUMBAI INDIANS
Veteran Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga, the all-time top wickettaker in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is among the seven players who Mumbai Indians (MI) have released ahead of the 2021 edition.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday announced Sanju Samson as the new skipper for the Indian Premier League 2021 season. Australia batsman Steve Smith, who failed to make an impact with bat and captaincy, has been released. RR, who finished last in the 2020 edition released eight players.
KOLKATTA KNIGHT RIDERS
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have retained Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav and Dinesh Karthik among others ahead of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction, which is expected to be held next month.