Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah retained by IPL franchises for 2022

MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Glenn Maxwell are among some of the big names that the existing franchises have decided to retain for IPL 2022.

Following is a list of names that ESPNcricinfo has confirmed as of Monday evening. The order they appear in is not as per IPL retention list.

Chennai Super Kings: Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell
Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson

Several franchises are still finalising their retention list with the IPL deadline closing at 12pm IST on Tuesday. Recently the IPL, which will be a 10-team league from the 2022 season, had enhanced the auction purse to INR 90 crore while setting various retention slabs. The existing franchises can retain a total of four players (max. two overseas) while the two new unnamed franchise - to be based in Lucknow and Ahmedabad - can buy upto three players each from the pool after the original eight teams have made their retentions.

In case a franchise retains four players, INR 42 crore would be deducted from the total purse. For three retentions the purse would shrink by INR 33 crore, while for two retentions it would reduce by INR 24 crore and in case of one retention INR 14 crore would be deducted from the purse.

Earlier this month, Dhoni had expressed the hope of playing his last T20I in Chennai. The Super Kings have brought him one step closer to that by retaining him ahead of the mega auction in 2022. Having won the title last year, the franchise has kept hold of another of its best performers in Ruturaj Gaikwad. The 24-year old opener was the highest run-getter in 2021 with a tally of 635 and his partnership with Faf du Plessis provided the basis of their newfound hit-from-ball-one batting plan. And while the South African might also have been considered as an option to retain, the management preferred the all-round talents of Moeen Ali.

Much as he had said while giving up the captaincy, Virat Kohli will remain with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He has represented them since the start of the IPL in 2008 and was one of only two players the franchise chose to hold of, along with Maxwell.

Rookie sensation Venkatesh Iyer will stay at Kolkata Knight Riders after a stellar season that also fast tracked him into the Indian T20I side. As a hard-hitting batter and bowler capable of withstanding even the pressure of the death overs, he was expected to fetch a huge price in the auction but it turns out he didn't even need the auction for that.