One player from eight franchises teams wish they had not released

Due to the introduction of the Indian T20 League Mega-Auction 2022, the previous 8 franchises were told to retain only four players. As a result, they had to release some of the world-class talents who they didn’t want to. Hence, numerous players are seen playing for different franchises in the ongoing edition of the Indian T20 League. 

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Some of the top-class performers who are wreaking havoc this season were playing for different franchises last year. There’s no denying the fact that their previous franchise would be disappointed to let them go. In this article, we take a look at one player whose previous franchise would be regretting to have released ahead of the mega auction. 

1. Kolkata- Kuldeep Yadav 

The Indian leg-spinner played only five matches for Kolkata in the 2021 edition of the Indian T20 League. The franchise didn’t put enough faith in his abilities and didn’t give him enough chances to prove his mettle. The franchise, eventually, released him ahead of the Mega Auctions.

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Kuldeep Yadav was bought by Delhi at the auctions and it has proved to be a masterstroke, thus far. India’s leg-spinner has been nothing short of a sensational in the ongoing season. He is consistently picking wickets for the team and is currently the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 17 wickets to his name in 8 matches. 

2. Bangalore- Yuzvendra Chahal 

The fans were left shocked when Bangalore didn’t include Yuzvedra Chahal in their retention list. Chahal is currently India’s best spinner in the shortest format and letting him go was a big mistake for Bangalore. 

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The Indian leg-spinner is proving his worth in the ongoing season while playing for Rajasthan. He is currently the highest wicket-taker this season, having managed to pick 18 wickets in 8 matches at 12.61. 

3. Mumbai- Hardik Pandya 

The defending champions, Mumbai, unfortunately, had to release Hardik Pandya ahead of the mega auctions. Given how the franchise and Hardik himself are performing, Mumbai would be regretting their decision to let him go.   

Hardik Pandya is currently leading Gujarat and is leading from the front. He is making heads turn with outstanding knocks. Pandya is currently the third-highest run-scorer in the ongoing season. In 7 matches, he has managed to score 305 runs at an average of 61.00. 

4. Rajasthan- Mustafizur Rahman 

In the ongoing edition of the Indian T20 League, Mustafizur Rahman is playing for Delhi. He was part of the Rajasthan franchise last year but they didn’t retain him for the 2022 edition. The left-arm Bangladeshi seamer has bowled pretty well this season for his new franchise. He finished with outstanding bowling figures of 3 for 18 in 4 overs in the last game against Kolkata. Overall, Mustafizur Rahman has 8 wickets in 7 matches at 25.88. 

5. Hyderabad- David Warner

Surprisingly, Hyderabad opted to let go of David Warner from the squad ahead of the mega-auction. He wasn’t retained by the franchise and they are paying the price of that. Hyderabad haven’t been able to get solid starts from the openers and Warner’s presence would have made a lot of difference. 

The Australian batter is currently playing for Delhi and has scored the most runs for them this season. In 6 matches, he has 261 runs to his name at a strike rate of 158.18. 

6. Delhi- Shikhar Dhawan 

Shikhar Dhawan has been a prolific run-getter in the Indian T20 League. He recently became only the second batsman to score more than 6000 runs in the tournament. Dhawan has been consistently scoring heaps of runs for the last few editions. Despite giving solid starts for Delhi, the franchise released him ahead of the Mega Auction. 

The southpaw continues to impress one and all in the ongoing edition as well. Though, he is playing for a different franchise. Turning up for Punjab, he has managed to score 302 runs in 8 matches at an average of 43.14. 

7. Chennai- Josh Hazlewood 

In the absence of Deepak Chahar, Chennai’s bowling unit is looking a lot weaker than last year. The overseas options haven’t looked threatening either. Chennai are dearly missing the services of Josh Hazlewood, who is doing pretty good for Bangalore in the ongoing season. He has managed to pick 10 wickets in 5 matches at an average of 13.60.

8. Punjab: KL Rahul 

Punjab’s former skipper KL Rahul decided to not be a part of the franchise for the ongoing season. Lucknow later made him the skipper for the 2022 edition of the Indian T20 League. Playing for a new franchise, he continues to notch big scores in the cash-rich tournament. He is currently the second highest run-getter this season. In 8 matches, KL Rahul has 368 runs to his name at an average of 61.33.