Who will keep whom? List of players likely to be retained by CSK, KKR, DC and MI ahead of IPL mega auction

The deadline for retentions for the existing eight teams of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is inching closer with the franchises trying to form the best possible core from their current squad before realising others. Each of the eight franchises can only retain a maximum of four players with no Right to Match (RTM) option available this time around.

November 30 is the deadline for the eight teams to submit their final list of retentions. The two new teams - Lucknow and Ahmedabad can then pick up a maximum of three players each from the pool of non-retained players while the rest will head to the auction table.

As the deadline for retentions approaches, here we take a look at the players likely to be retained by Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians.

1) Chennai Super Kings - MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali/Sam Curran

As per a report in Indan Express, four-time champions CSK will retain their skipper MS Dhoni despite him being in the final lap of his career. Dhoni will once again lead the Yellow Army next season having already confirmed that he will be playing his last T20 in Chennai.

Star batter Ruturaj Gaikwad, who had a memorable campaign in IPL 2021 bagging the Orange Cap for being the highest run-getter of the season is also set to be retained along with star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. As per Indian Express, CSK are in talks with England all-rounder Moeen Ali to retain him as their fourth player but they might consider keeping Sam Curran if Ali doesn't agree.

2) Mumbai Indians - Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians are the most successful side in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and have one of the best squads at their disposal. MI have some of the biggest superstars in their ranks and it is certainly going to be a tricky task for the team management to pick their ideal retentions.

As per Indian Express, Mumbai Indians have decided to retain captain Rohit Sharma and ace fast bowler Jsprit Bumrah. The franchise is in talks with veteran all-rounder Kieron Pollard while there are chances of wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan getting retained as well. The likes of Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Trent Boult might be targeted by the two new franchises or head into the auction pool after being released.

Also Read: RR retain skipper Sanju Samson for whopping price; Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer likely to follow suit: Report

3) Delhi Capitals - Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje 

Delhi Capitals are all set to let go of the likes of former captain Shreyas Iyer, R Ashwin and Steve Smth among others as they have reportedly planned to retain Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel and Anrich Nortje, as per a report in ESPN Cricinfo. Pant is set to be DC's first retention for Rs 16 crore (INR 160 million).

Delhi Capitals wanted to retain Iyer and were in talks with the star batter. However, the stylish right-hander wanted a leadership role and thus decided to head into the auction pool. Iyer was replaced as captain by Pant in IPL 2021, a move that played a significant role in his decision to leave DC.

Also Read: Delhi Capitals to release Shreyas Iyer as list of players to be retained released - Report
 

4) Kolkata Knight Riders - Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Varun Chakaravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders are likely to retain two of their star all-rounders Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, as per a report in Indian Express. The 2021 season finalists also want to keep spinner Varun Chakaravarthy and are yet to decide between Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer. While Gill has scored 1417 runs in 58 matches for KKR so far, Iyer had a season to remember in IPL 2021 where he notched up 370 runs in ten matches.