IPL: Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer released - here's a list of overseas players retained ahead of mega auction

 | Updated: Dec 02, 2021, 05:49 AM IST

England stars Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer have been released by their IPL team Rajasthan Royals ahead of the auction as franchises on Tuesday announced names of retained players. 

Take a look at all the overseas players retained ahead of IPL 2022 auction:

List of overseas players retained ahead of mega auction

Ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, the existing eight franchises have released names that have been retained. The next edition will have two new teams - Lucknow and Ahmedabad. The event will feature 74 matches where each side plays seven home and seven away games. 

The eight franchises were eligible to retain up to four players with a maximum of three Indians, two overseas players and two uncapped Indians. Out of a total of 27 retained players, eight are overseas and four are uncapped Indians

Here's a list of overseas players retained by their respective franchise:

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Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali has been retained by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for INR 80 million after his impressive performance in his first campaign with the four-time winners. 

CSK have also retained Ravindra Jadeja (INR 160 million), MS Dhoni (INR 120 million), Ruturaj Gaikwad (INR 60 million). 

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Anrich Nortje

South African cricketer Anrich Nortje has been retained by Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 65 million along with Rishabh Pant (INR 160 million), Axar Patel (INR 90 million), Prithvi Shaw (INR 75 million). 

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Andre Russell

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have made a decision to keep the aggressive all-rounder Andre Russell in the squad for the next edition of the IPL tournament for a staggering amount of INR 120 million. 

"Over the last eight seasons I have been a Knight Rider player and it’s amazing that they continue to show me so much love. My journey with KKR continues and I appreciate the trust, support and confidence they have shown in me across the years," Andre Russell on his retention, said. 

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Sunil Narine

Ace bowler Sunil Narine, who has been associated with KKR since the beginning of his career, making his IPL debut in 2012, is another overseas player retained by the Kolkata-based franchise for INR 60 million. 

Sunil Narine on his retention, said, "I am very excited, it’s the only place I want to be in IPL cricket at the moment. If KKR has a team anywhere in the world I would prefer playing for them, whether its KKR or TKR or any other franchise that they would have."

Apart from Russell and Narine, KKR also retained Varun Chakravarthy (INR 80 million) and Venkatesh Iyer (INR 80 million).  

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Kieron Pollard

Mumbai Indians have retained West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard for INR 60 million. The Mumbai-based franchise also informed that they will keep Rohit Sharma (INR 160 million), Jasprit Bumrah (INR 120 million), Suryakumar Yadav (INR 80 million) in the squad. 

MI's Director of Cricket Operations Zaheer Khan said: "If you look at the retention list of Mumbai Indians, you will notice that there are leaders in there who have performed consistently. Yes, we had to say goodbye to the other players with a very heavy heart. Overall, it was very difficult to make these decisions." 

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Jos Buttler

England's swashbuckling batter Jos Buttler has been retained by Rajasthan Royals for INR 100 million. The Rajasthan-based franchise also retained Sanju Samson (INR 140 million) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (INR 40 million) ahead of the auction. 

After the retention decision was announced, Buttler, who amassed 1968 runs in 65 IPL matches at a strike rate of 150,  said, "I'm really excited to be staying with the Rajasthan Royals. Over the past four seasons, I've received tremendous love and support from the franchise and its supporters, and I consider the Royals as my second home. I'm delighted to be continuing with the team and looking forward to contributing towards creating a champion side."

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Glenn Maxwell

Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for INR 110 million. RCB also retained Virat Kohli (INR 150 million) and Mohammed Siraj (INR 70 million). 

After the retention, Maxwell said, "Dear RCB fans, Glenn Maxwell here. Just want to give a massive shout out to the RCB team management for retaining me for the upcoming IPL season. I had a lot of fun this season. So we had a bit of success this year."

"Hopefully, we can go a couple of steps further next year and win that title. We know the fans will be there supporting us in their red and black outfits. Hopefully, we can put out a massive show for you next year. I am hoping that everyone is staying safe and taking care of each other. Looking forward to seeing next year," he added. 

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Kane Williamson

New Zealand's Kane Williamson has been retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for INR 140 million. Apart from him, SRH also retained Abdul Samad (INR 40 million) and Umran Malik (INR 40 million). 

(Photograph:PTI)