Generally in a retention scenario, it has become easy for the top four teams to come up with their retention list as they generally have a good list of performing players from which they can choose their retention candidates. For the teams in the middle part of the IPL 2024 Points Table, it becomes a tricky call as to identify right players based on their potential and can not always go by the recent form.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Chennai Super Kings finished the IPL 2024 in the fifth position and this was just the second instance when this team failed to reach the play-offs. They generally like to have a steady team but whether they tinker their strategy this time, that will be interesting to see. They also have the significant decision to make regarding MS Dhoni, one of the legends in Indian cricket. However, Dhoni is now more than 42 years old and played his last international match five years back. There is a rumour that, the CSK team management is trying to use an old IPL rule which will consider Dhoni as an uncapped player as he has retired from international cricket for more than five years ago. But it will be interesting to see whether BCCI agrees with them. If they can not retain MS Dhoni, Dhoni may retire from IPL and join the CSK team management in a mentorship role. There is also a chance they will not retain Ravindra Jadeja, who has a long history with this team but has recently retired from T20 Internationals.
The first name in their retention list will be of Ruturaj Gaikwad who led them in the 2024 edition. Gaikwad has now proved himself as one of the best top order batters in the IPL and also a frequent choice in the national team. He was also the second highest run scorer in the last IPL with 583 runs with an average of 53 and strike rate of 141.16. The second choice should be Devon Conway, who generally bats at the top order along with Ruturaj but missed the IPL 2024 due to an injury. He is still a class player and his retention should be a no-brainer for CSK.
Their third choice could be Shivam Dube who made a comeback of sorts in last IPL and has been progressing in his career since then. In the IPL 2024, Dube scored 396 runs with a strike rate excess of 160. His skill as spin-hitter during the middle phase of the game was effective and he also got rewarded with an India spot regularly post that. He also played few handy innings in India’s victorious campaign during the T20 World Cup.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Delhi Capitals finished IPL 2024 in the sixth position with seven wins and seven defeats like three more teams and lost out on play-off chances due to low Net Run Rate. They have already part ways with their coach Ricky Ponting and it will be interesting to see whether their director of cricket, Sourav Ganguly has the same fate. The first name in their retention list should include the local lad Rishabh Pant, who made a successful return to competitive cricket during the IPL 2024 after the life-threatening car accident in December 2022. Pant was also top scorer for them with 446 runs with an average touching 40 and strike rate touching 150.
They have two top class white ball spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel and one of them can be in their top three retention list. Kuldeep picked up 16 wickets in IPL 2024 with an average of 23.25 and economy rate of 8.65. Axar, on the other hand, picked up 11 wickets along with scoring 235 runs, which included two fifty plus scores. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod for retention.
Among the foreign players, their top retention candidate should be the young Australian opener Jack Fraser-McGurk. Frrase-McGurk was not their first choice opener and only made his IPL debut when David Waner was injured. But he already impressed the fans and the critics with his range of shots and aggressive intent. In just nine innings he scored 330 runs with an out-of-the-world strike rate of 234. The Capitals will look to invest on this youngsters and hope to see him flourish to his full potential in years to come.
See Also: Top 3 possible retentions ahead of IPL 2025 auctions: KKR, SRH, RR, RCB
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
After finishing their first two seasons in the play-offs, Lucknow Super Giants finished the IPL 2024 in the seventh position. There is a very strong rumour that they are not going to retain their captain and the key batter KL Rahul despite him scoring 550 runs in the 2024 season. Instead they may retain Nicholas Pooran, who also played a key role for them with 499 runs, scored at an average of 62.37 and strike rate of 178.21. With his vast experience in various franchise leagues around the world Pooran can also be a very good captaincy option for them if he is retained.
Their second retention pick can be the Aussie all-rounder Marcus Stoinis. Stoinis played quite a few handy innings in IPL 2024 including a century in his way to 388 runs and also picked up four wickets. Like Pooran, he is also a genuine match winner on his day.
There are not many Indian retention options available for them but they may keep their trust on Ravi Bishnoi. The Indian leg-spinner had a mediocre IPL 2024, picking up just 10 wickets in 14 matches and as a result missed out on a spot for India’s squad in the T20 World Cup. However, his performances, in the Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka series are encouraging and he may get the nod before other Indian youngsters like Mohsin Khan and Mayank Yadav.
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