IPL 2024 Retention Strategies Unveiled: A Deep Dive into the Retained, Released Players, and Franchise Tactics

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a highly competitive cricket league where teams strive to build the strongest squads possible. Player retention plays a crucial role in this endeavor, as it allows teams to maintain their core strength and continuity. The IPL 2024 player retention window concluded on Sunday 26 Nov, and the decisions made by the franchises have revealed their strategic thinking and aspirations for the upcoming season.

Retained Players: A Tale of Core Strength and Strategic Choices

Each franchise carefully evaluated their existing players and made strategic decisions regarding which individuals to retain. These decisions were influenced by factors such as player performance, team balance, financial constraints, and future plans. 

Mumbai Indians

Released: Arshad Khan, Ramandeep Singh, Hrithik Shokeen, Raghav Goyal, Jofra Archer, Tristan Stubbs, Duan Jansen, Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith, Chris Jordan, Sandeep Warrier, Cameron Green (Traded to RCB)

Retained: Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Madhwal, Romario Shepherd (Traded from LSG), Nehal Wadhera, Ishan Kishan, Vishnu Vinod, Suryakumar Yadav, Kumar Kartikeya, Tim David, Shams Mulani, Arjun Tendulkar, Tilak Varma, Piyush Chawla, Hardik Pandya (Traded from GT), Jason Behrendorff, Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis

Major Transfer: Hardik Pandya’s Grand Return Home Sparks Significant Changes. Jofra Archer, plagued by injuries, and emerging batting talent Tristan Stubbs released. In a noteworthy shift, Cameron Green is traded to RCB in an all-cash deal, significantly strengthening their auction budget.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Released: Wayne Parnell, Sonu Yadav, Avinash Singh, Wanindu Hasarangha, David Willey, Siddharth Kaul, Kedar Jadhav, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, 

Retained: Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Virat Kohli, Cameron Green (Traded in from MI), Mayank Dagar (Traded in from SRH), Vyshak Vijaykumar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar

Strategic Shuffle: Bid Farewell to HHH – Harshal, Hazlewood, and Hasaranga, Prompting a Bowling Reshape. The Inclusion of Aussie All-rounder Cameron Green in the GT-MI Swap Adds a New Dimension (Acquired for INR 17.50 Cr).

Kolkata Knight Riders

Released: Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, David Wiese, Arya Desai, N Jagadeesan, Mandeep Singh, Kulwant Khejroliya, Johnson Charles

Retained: Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Jason Roy. Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakravarthy

Strategic Decision: Leaving out Shardul Thakur and Lockie Ferguson, while maintaining faith in old warhorses Andre Russell and Sunil Narine in a Pivotal Move.

Gujarat Titans

Released: Hardik Pandya (Traded to MI), Odean Smith, Alzarri Joseph, Dasun Shanaka, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, 

Retained: Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Wriddhiman Saha, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Sai Sudharsan, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Sharma, Matthew Wade, Kane Williamson, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Darshan Nalkande, Noor Ahmad, Rashid Khan, Josh Little

Big Move: The Captain Swapped to Mumbai Indians, Money Changing Hands

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Chennai Super Kings

Released: Ben Stokes, Kyle Jamieson, Dwaine Pretorius, Bhagath Varma, Sisanda Magala, Ambati Rayudu(retired from all forms of cricket), Subhranshu Senapati, Akash Singh

Retained: MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ajinkya Rahane, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Ajay Mandal, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Maheesh Theekshana, Mitchell Santner, Matheesha Pathirana, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu

Smart Move: Unlocking Funds by Letting Go of English Star Ben Stokes

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Released: Harry Brook, Adil Rashid, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Tyagi, Samarth Vyas, Vivrant Sharma

Retained: Aiden Markram, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Abdul Samad, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Heinrich Klaasen, Mayank Agarwal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Anmolpreet Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed (Traded from RCB), Sanvir Singh, Upendra Yadav, Nitish Reddy, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, T Natarajan, Fazahaq Farooqi

Bold Move: Letting Go of England Duo Harry Brook and Adil Rashid

Punjab Kings

Released: Shahrukh Khan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Baltej Dhanda, Mohit Rathee, Raj Bawa,

Retained: Shikhar Dhawan, Jitesh Sharma, Matthew Short, Jonny Bairstow, Rishi Dhawan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone,  Vidwath Kaverappa, Harpreet Bhatia, Atharva Taide, Shivam Singh, Gurnoor Brar

Bold Move: In a surprising move, the team released Shahrukh Khan, a finisher they had heavily invested in.

Lucknow Super Giants

Released: Daniel Sams, Karan Sharma, Karun Nair, Jaydev Unadkat, Manan Vohra, Suryansh Shedge, Swapnil Singh, Avesh Khan (Traded to RR), Arpit Guleria, Romario Shepherd (Traded to MI)

Retained: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Devdutt Padikkal (Traded in from RR), Ayush Badoni, Mark Wood, Amit Mishra, Naveen-ul-Haq, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Prerak Mankad, Yudhvir Singh, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur

Strategic Deal: Swapping India International Avesh Khan for a New Chapter

Rajasthan Royals

Released: Murugan Ashwin, Obed McCoy, KC Cariappa, Joe Root, Jason Holder, KM Asif, Akash Vashisht, Abdul Basith, Kuldip Yadav

Retained: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma, Prasidh Krishna, Navdeep Saini, Avesh Khan (Traded from LSG), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Dhruv Jurel, Kunal Singh Rathore

Key Transfer: Avesh Khan Joins in a Trade, Jason Holder Released in Team Reshuffle

Delhi Capitals

Released: Rilee Rossouw, Chetan Sakariya, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Phil Salt, Mustafizur Rahman, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Khan, Priyam Garg

Retained: Lalit Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Pravin Dubey, Anrich Nortje, Mukesh Kumar, Rishabh Pant, Yash Dhull, Ishant Sharma, David Warner, Vicky Ostwal, Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel, Mitchell Marsh, Lungi Ngidi, Abishek Porel, Kuldeep Yadav

Strategic Decision: Parting Ways with Overseas T20 Specialists Rilee Rossouw and Rovman Powell

Complete lists of Retained and Released players In IPL 2024

TeamReleasedRetained
Mumbai IndiansArshad Khan, Ramandeep Singh, Hrithik Shokeen, Raghav Goyal, Jofra Archer, Tristan Stubbs, Duan Jansen, Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith, Chris Jordan, Sandeep Warrier, Cameron Green (Traded to RCB)Hardik Pandya (Traded from GT), Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason Behrendorff (Traded from LSG), Romario Shepherd (Traded from LSG)
Royal Challengers BangaloreWayne Parnell, Sonu Yadav, Avinash Singh, Wanindu Hasarangha, David Willey, Siddharth Kaul, Kedar Jadhav, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Finn Allen, Michael BracewellFaf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Virat Kohli, Cameron Green (Traded in from MI), Mayank Dagar (Traded in from SRH), Vyshak Vijaykumar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar
Kolkata Knight RidersShardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, David Wiese, Arya Desai, N Jagadeesan, Mandeep Singh, Kulwant Khejroliya, Johnson CharlesShreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Jason Roy, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakravarthy
Gujarat TitansHardik Pandya (Traded to MI), Odean Smith, Alzarri Joseph, Dasun Shanaka, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil PatelShubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Wriddhiman Saha, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Sai Sudharsan, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Sharma, Matthew Wade, Kane Williamson, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Darshan Nalkande, Noor Ahmad, Rashid Khan, Josh Little
Chennai Super KingsBen Stokes, Kyle Jamieson, Dwaine Pretorius, Bhagath Varma, Sisanda Magala, Ambati Rayudu (retired from all forms of cricket), Subhranshu Senapati, Akash SinghMS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ajinkya Rahane, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Ajay Mandal, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Maheesh Theekshana, Mitchell Santner, Matheesha Pathirana, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu
Sunrisers HyderabadHarry Brook, Adil Rashid, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Tyagi, Samarth Vyas, Vivrant SharmaAiden Markram, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Abdul Samad, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Heinrich Klaasen, Mayank Agarwal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Anmolpreet Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed (Traded from RCB), Sanvir Singh, Upendra Yadav, Nitish Reddy, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, T Natarajan, Fazahaq Farooqi
Punjab KingsShahrukh Khan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Baltej Dhanda, Mohit Rathee, Raj BawaShikhar Dhawan, Jitesh Sharma, Matthew Short, Jonny Bairstow, Rishi Dhawan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Vidwath Kaverappa, Harpreet Bhatia, Atharva Taide, Shivam Singh, Gurnoor Brar
Lucknow Super GiantsDaniel Sams, Karan Sharma, Karun Nair, Jaydev Unadkat, Manan Vohra, Suryansh Shedge, Swapnil Singh, Avesh Khan (Traded to RR), Arpit Guleria, Romario Shepherd (Traded to MI)KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Devdutt Padikkal (Traded in from RR), Ayush Badoni, Mark Wood, Amit Mishra, Naveen-ul-Haq, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Prerak Mankad, Yudhvir Singh, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur
Rajasthan RoyalsMurugan Ashwin, Obed McCoy, KC Cariappa, Joe Root, Jason Holder, KM Asif, Akash Vashisht, Abdul Basith, Kuldip YadavSanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma, Prasidh Krishna, Navdeep Saini, Avesh Khan (Traded from LSG), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Dhruv Jurel, Kunal Singh Rathore
Delhi CapitalsRilee Rossouw, Chetan Sakariya, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Phil Salt, Mustafizur Rahman, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Khan, Priyam GargLalit Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Pravin Dubey, Anrich Nortje, Mukesh Kumar, Rishabh Pant, Yash Dhull, Ishant Sharma, David Warner, Vicky Ostwal, Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel, Mitchell Marsh, Lungi Ngidi, Abishek Porel, Kuldeep Yadav

Complete List of purse and slots available for the teams In IPL 2024 Auction

TeamPurse Available (Crore)Slots AvailableOverseas Slots Available
Mumbai Indians17.7583
Royal Challengers Bangalore23.2574
Kolkata Knight Riders32.7124
Gujarat Titans38.1572
Chennai Super Kings31.463
Sunrisers Hyderabad3463
Punjab Kings29.182
Lucknow Super Giants13.1562
Rajasthan Royals14.583
Delhi Capitals28.9594

The Gujarat Titans have the highest remaining purse (38.15 crore) and have 8 slots available, including 2 overseas slots.

The Lucknow SuperGiants have the lowest remaining purse (13.15 crore).

IPL 2024/ Squad Size/Salary Cap/Available Slots

FranchiseNo of PlayersNo of Overseas PlayersTotal money spent (Rs.)Salary cap available (Rs.)Available SlotsOverseas Slots
GT18676.8523.1572
LSG19686.8513.1562
RR17585.514.583
KKR13467.332.7124
SRH195663463
RCB18459.2540.7574
PBKS17670.929.182
MI17584.7515.2583
CSK19568.631.463
DC16471.0528.9594
Total17350737.05262.957730

Check out IPL Official website for more info.

Released Players: Making Way for New Aspirations

The release of certain players was a difficult but necessary step for some franchises. Factors such as underperformance, financial considerations, and the need to accommodate new players contributed to these decisions. Some notable releases include Harshal Patel (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Jofra Archer (Mumbai Indians), and Wanindu Hasaranga (Royal Challengers Bangalore). These players are talented cricketers and will undoubtedly find opportunities to showcase their skills in other IPL teams.

Franchise Tactics: Unveiling the Master Plan

The retention strategies employed by each franchise reflect their unique vision and approach to building a successful team. Some franchises prioritized retaining their core players and maintaining a sense of continuity, while others opted for a more dynamic approach, releasing experienced players to create space for new talent. These decisions will undoubtedly shape the upcoming IPL auction and the overall balance of power in the league.

Conclusion: Embracing Change and Shaping the Future

The IPL 2024 player retention has set the stage for an exciting and unpredictable season. Franchises have made bold decisions, released experienced players, and embraced change in their pursuit of ultimate success. The upcoming IPL auction will be a crucial event where teams will have the opportunity to fill their vacant slots and further shape their squads. The dynamic nature of the IPL demands strategic thinking and adaptability, and the franchises that can navigate these challenges effectively will be the ones to emerge victorious.