On November 15, all ten teams revealed the names of their retained players. Most of the teams decided to retain their core squad, but some wanted a makeover and released many players. In that list of released players, there are some reputed names who were paid hefty amounts in IPL 2022.
Franchises are gearing up for the upcoming auction, scheduled to take place in Kochi on December 23. As many as 991 players have registered their names for the auction and among them, there will be discarded players from the previous season as well. Most of the discarded players spent the season on the sidelines and were expected to be offloaded.
However, from the released players’ list, one can find notable names also. The teams secured their services after paying exorbitant amounts, but they could not play as per the franchise’s expectations. Eventually, the expensive players were released ahead of the auction.
5 most expensive players who were released before the IPL mini-auction
When a franchise invests a lot of money in a certain player, that leads to the rationale that the franchise is putting a significant value on that player. Generally, the expectation around those players remains very high and if they fail to deliver, it takes little time for the franchises to release those players. Let’s have a look at the 5 most expensive players who were released.
.Kane Williamson
After his repeated failures, skipper David Warner was sacked from the position by his franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). They decided not to retain his services and wanted a new face as the skipper of the team. They found Kane Williamson suitable for that role and before the mega-auction, SRH retained him for an amount of ₹14 Crore.
Williamson could not find his rhythm with the bat in the entire season as he finished with only 216 runs in 13 innings. Under Williamson’s leadership, the team did not do well either, as they finished in the 8th position. His below-par season compelled the franchise to release him and utilize the amount of ₹14 Crore to buy other players in the auction.
.Mayank Agarwal
Before IPL 2022, Mayank Agarwal had spent three consecutive IPL seasons with more than 140 strike rate and after KL Rahul’s departure, his franchise Punjab Kings (PBKS) did not have any hesitation to retain him for an amount of ₹14 Crore and eventually naming him as the skipper.
Unfortunately, Agarwal could not continue that form in 2022 as he scored a paltry 196 runs in 12 innings. Despite having a star-studded squad, the team’s performance was not consistent and they finished in the 6th position. After failing to secure a berth in the playoffs, PBKS released both their captain and coach and are looking forward to a fresh start under new coach Trevor Bayliss and captain Shikhar Dhawan.
.Nicholas Pooran
In IPL 2022 mega-auction, Nicholas Pooran’s base price was ₹1.50 Crore, but after a bidding war between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, his price soared high and reached ₹10.75 Crore as the Hyderabad-based franchise put the highest bid.
The southpaw performed decently in SRH colors and notched up 306 runs in 14 innings. But his team was not too keen to keep the West Indian wicketkeeper-batter for another season.
.Jason Holder
The Barbadian all-rounder was bought by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), for a substantial amount of ₹8.75 Crore as he was targetted by four teams in the IPL 2022 auction. The lanky pacer finished the season with modest returns as he took 12 wickets in 12 matches.
Due to the deep batting line-up of the team, Holder got few opportunities with the bat and scored 58 runs. The Lucknow-based franchise was not too impressed by these numbers and Holder was released from the squad.
.Romario Shepherd
To the surprise of many, rookie all-rounder Romario Shepherd fetched an amount of ₹7.75 Crore in the IPL 2022 auction, and Sunrisers Hyderabad called the final bid. Shepherd is not a heavyweight name in the T20 circuit and so his price raised quite a few eyebrows.
In his debut IPL season, Shepherd did not perform extraordinarily which can justify his price tag. He played in 3 matches and apart from taking 3 wickets at an unsatisfactory economy rate of 10.89, he scored 58 runs. As he has been released from the squad, it is evident that these numbers did not impress his franchise.
List of 5 most expensive players released before IPL 2023 auction
| Name | Team | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Kane Williamson | Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | ₹14 Crore |
| Mayank Agarwal | Punjab Kings (PBKS) | ₹14 Crore |
| Nicholas Pooran | Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | ₹10.75 Crore |
| Jason Holder | Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) | ₹8.75 Crore |
| Romario Shepherd | Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | ₹7.75 Crore |
Conclusion
Lack of consistent performances costs these players to retain their places in their respective squads. Their reputation and past records played a role in paying them huge amounts. Still, somehow powerful performances from them were nowhere to be seen in IPL 2022, and quite expectedly the expensive players were released.
FAQs
Q1:- Which team released many expensive players ahead of the IPL 2023 auction?
Ans:- Sunrisers Hyderabad released three players above ₹7 Crore price and the combined price of the released players is ₹32.50 Crore.
Q2:- Among the 5 most expensive released players, which country has the highest representative?
Ans:- There are 3 players from the West Indies – Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder, and Romario Shepherd – who are among the list of the 5 most expensive released players.
Q3:- Can a team which has released a certain player from their squad repurchase the same player from the IPL auction?
Ans:- Yes, any team can buy any player as long as their purse is permitting and they have adequate slots to buy a player.
