IPL 2021: Top 5 retained players who can prove to be a big mistake in IPL 14

January 22, 2021

IPL 2021: Top 5 retained players who can prove to be a big mistake in IPL 14 , The Indian Premier League player 2021 (IPL 2021) retentions and releases were announced by all the eight franchises on Wednesday and while there were many expected releases, there were some surprising or rather shocking retentions.

Here we take a look at the top five retained players who can turn out to be a big flop in IPL 2021:

Dinesh Karthik (KKR): The ex- KKR skipper had a harrowed time in the IPL 2020. Karthik was poor with the bat in IPL 2020 owing to which the wicketkeeper-batsman even handed his captaincy to Eoin Morgan in the middle of the tournament. Karthik accumulated 169 runs from 14 matches at a terrible average of 14.08. Despite his poor show, KKR has retained Karthik for IPL 2021 for whopping Rs 7.4 crore and it can turn out to be a flop deal.

Jaydev Unadkat (RR): The Rajasthan Royals pacer turned out to be a huge disappointment in IPL 2020, where he struggled to lead Royals’ bowling attack and come out of Jofra Archer’s shadow. In seven matches in IPL 2020, the pacer managed to take only four wickets while leaking 228 runs. He has been retained by RR for Rs 3 crore but it seems highly unlikely that Unadkat will deliver in IPL 2021.

Imran Tahir (CSK): Chennai Super Kings’ leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who was the 2019 IPL’s Purple Cap winner with 26 wickets, warmed the bench for most of the IPL 2020 as he played just three games in which he picked just a wicket. Moreover, he is the oldest member of Dad’s army in the CSK’s side and by the time next IPL arrives, Tahir will be 42 years old. However, CSK still decided to retain him for Rs 1 crore rather than investing on youngsters. This strange strategy can back-fire for the three-time champions.

Andre Russell (KKR): In the world of T20 cricket, few have managed to instil fear in the hearts of opposition bowlers like Andre Russell has in recent years. A vital cog in Kolkata’s lineup, Russell has, time and again, turned the tide in his team’s favour. In IPL 2019, Russell scored 510 runs at a staggering strike-rate of 204.81.

Owing to his astronomical capabilities, Kolkata shelled out a whopping Rs 8.5 crore to retain his services ahead of the 2020 IPL Auction and much was anticipated from the big man in 2020 but he was unusually quiet in the last season. With 117 runs from 10 matches, Russell looked a pale shadow of himself. But, despite his dismal form and injury concerns in IPL 2020, KKR retained Russell for Rs 8.5 crore, a move that has been questioned by numerous cricket pundits and fans.

Saurabh Tiwary (MI): If there is one player in which Mumbai Indians showed trust and faith in IPL 2020 was Saurabh Tiwary. Earlier in the season, he was preferred ahead of Ishan Kishan and then he played again after Rohit Sharma suffered an injury.

However, in 7 matches in IPL 2020, Tiwary could only make 103 runs at an average of 20 and strike rate of 128. It was a mediocre season for Tiwary with the bat. Plus his fitness too came under the scanner and he looked overweight and clumsy while fielding and running between the wickets. But it seems like that MI have overlook all the issues related to Tiwary as the defending champions have retained him for Rs 50 lakhs.