The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises
have been working hard for the upcoming mega auction for IPL 2022. As per the
new retention policy, the teams are allowed to retain a maximum of four players
before the auction, while the two new sides will get to pick three players each
from the pool of unretained players.

As the date for the announcement of
retained players comes close, most of the franchises have nevertheless
finalised their core group of players, who will feature for them in the next
season as well.

The likes of MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Ruturaj Gaikwad for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Rishabh Pant, Prithvi
Shaw and Anrich Nortje for Delhi Capitals (DC), Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah for
Mumbai Indians (MI) are likely to appear in same jersey next
season as well.

But for many, this is not going to be the
case. Several reports have suggested that Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul is
likely to leave the franchise, while some of the star Indian players will
either be picked by the two new teams in the draft or will go straight into the
auction.

Among the big names, Hardik Pandya, Shikhar
Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin and Suryakumar Yadav could play for new franchises
from next season onwards.

Hardik Pandya

The Mumbai Indians all-rounder has not been
in good form since he had undergone back surgery. His inability to bowl a full
quota of four overs could make Mumbai Indians think-tank release him. From IPL
2022, junior Pandya is likely to play for a new team.

Shikhar Dhawan

The Delhi Capitals opener
has been in good form with the bat in the last three seasons after making a
move from the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019. Dhawan has been one of the mainstays
of the Delhi Capitals’ batting line-up. But at 35, he might not find it
difficult to find a place in Rishabh Pant-led side.

Ravichandran Ashwin

The ace off-spinner,
who has recently made a comeback into the Indian team in white-ball format
riding on his performances in the IPL for Delhi Capitals, is likely to see his
name in the auction as he himself has informed the media about his IPL future
on his YouTube channel.

Suryakumar Yadav

The Mumbai Indians batter
is known for his versatility. In the last four seasons, batting at No. 3 he
played plenty of blitzkrieg innings with the side winning two trophies in the
last four years.  However, now being a
capped player, and Mumbai Indians already having Rohit Sharma and Jsapirt
Bumrah to pick, Yadav may find a new home for the next three years.

Suresh Raina

The Chennai Super Kings
talisman had a very poor season in IPL 2021. He scored 160 runs in 12 matches
after returning to the IPL missing the 2020 season. Raina’s inability to play
those big game-changing innings could force CSK to release him despite their
unwillingness.