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Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur (Source: Twitter)
The day for the Indian Premier League 2024 Retention has arrived, and all 10 franchises are preparing to unveil the list of players they intend to retain before the auction. There's significant buzz surrounding Gujarat Titans' captain, Hardik Pandya, as reports indicate a probable departure from the franchise to make a comeback to Mumbai Indians. This potential move has surprised the entire cricketing community, especially since Rohit Sharma is the current captain of the Mumbai franchise and has not hinted at any departure shortly.
Several franchises have already made notable player releases. Delhi Capitals let go of players like Sarfaraz Khan and Manish Pandey, while Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad engaged in a trade involving Shahbaz Ahmed and Mayank Dagar. All these deals would show its impact once the tournament starts and it will also be fascinating to see how these teams include the players who are traded.
Other confirmed player movements include Romario Shepherd moving from Mumbai Indians to Lucknow Super Giants, Devdutt Padikkal joining Lucknow Super Giants from Rajasthan Royals, and Avesh Khan transferring to Rajasthan Royals from Lucknow Super Giants. The transfer made a huge buzz around the fans as Padikkal generally opens in the shortest format of the game and his performances so far have come at opening positions. With skipper KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock having been designated openers for LSG, it will be interesting to see how the team management slots in Padikkal.
Other Top player retention/release/trade rumours
The star India all-rounder, Shardul Thakur was acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 10.75 crore. However, reports suggest that the franchise is looking to unload the Indian star before the auction to create valuable space in their budget.
As for Prithvi Shaw is concerned there was significant speculation surrounding the future of the opening batter following his challenging season with Delhi Capitals last year. Yet, it appears that Shaw is set to be retained by the franchise.