There have been a few franchise releases during the 16-year IPL franchise that have turned out to be the finest and worst choices they have ever made.The teams aim to reassemble their rosters ahead of each IPL auction by cutting loose players they believe are out of form, would be better off as long-term investments, or no longer fit with their current group.
While the choices to release players often appear justified, occasionally the players who are released cause their previous team to regret parting them by excelling in other capacities. Let’s take a look at some of the shocking releases in IPL history.
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5) Shubman Gill (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Shubman Gill (Source: Twitter)
Shubman Gill, who joined the Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2018 Indian Premier League. In 2022, he became a member of Gujarat Titans after getting released by KKR prior to the auction. Interestingly, Gill is enjoying a breakout season with the GT, alongside 851 runs with an average of 60.79 and 156 at strike rate in 16 games. Along with his three hundreds, the daring batter has made four fifty-five runs and a career best score of 129.
4) Ravichandran Ashwin (Chennai Super Kings)
Ravichandran Ashwin (Source: Twitter)
When Ravichandran Ashwin was acquired by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) from Chennai Super Kings with the incredible sum of Rs 7.6 crore, everyone was taken aback. Many anticipated that the Chennai-based franchise would place a high offer for Ravichandran Ashwin in the 2018 players’ auction. People expected that they would utilise their Right to Match (RTM) card to acquire the spinner. However, CSK allowed him to depart and has since chosen to pursue overseas opportunities. But Ravichandran Ashwin has always called Chennai Super Kings home, and he always will.
3) KL Rahul (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
KL Rahul (Source: Twitter)
Team India batter KL Rahul was dropped by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016, however he later returned to RCB. Remarkably, KL Rahul entered the fray and got a scorching 397 runs in the 2016 season. It felt below par due to players like captain Virat Kohli and ABD batting on a different planet. But the terrible 2017 season had impacted the RCB team to the extent that they even decided to remove KL Rahul ahead of the 2018 mega auction. Then he was picked up at the IPL Auction by Kings XI Punjab and would be made captain in that season itself.
2) Suryakumar Yadav (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Suryakumar Yadav (Source: Twitter)
Suryakumar Yadav was purchased by the KKR team for INR 70 Lakh at the 2014 auction. Due to his adaptable style of play, the franchise often experimented with his middle-order batting position. But this ultimately led to him averaging only about 23 when playing for the KKR. In reality, by continuing to play as a mere floater after the 2017 edition, neither Sky nor the KKR brand saw any real success. In 2018, he was released prior to the auctions and was snapped up once again by the Mumbai Indians. Suryakumar Yadav along with the MI franchise has developed him into one of the strongest batting powerhouses. Whereas the KKR has struggled mightily with their top-order batting since the 2018 IPL.
1) Yuzvendra Chahal (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Yuzvendra Chahal (Source: Twitter)
In a few games for the Mumbai Indians in the 2013 Champions League T20, Yuzvendra Chahal demonstrated his abilities. He bowled a brilliant stint in the match against RCB during the finals. After that the red army purchased the leg-spinner during the 2014 auction. Since then, Yuzi Chahal has emerged as the team’s primary leg-spinner over the course of seven seasons, amassing 139 wickets in 113 matches with RCB. Later on, Chahal was released by the RCB franchise in an unexpected decision by the team management. This is still one of the most shocking releases in IPL history.
