IPL Retentions | Mumbai Indians choose not to retain Hardik Pandya

IPL Retentions | Yuzi Chahal and DDP get snubbed from Royal Challengers Bangalore

Hello and welcome to the official retention ceremony of the Indian Premier League 2022. Ahead of the mega auction, we are eagerly waiting for the announcement from the teams as to which players will form their core. The drama has already sprung several surprises with KL Rahul walking out of Punjab Kings and reportedly Rashid Khan not agreeing to sign a new contract. As we get into the ceremony, here are the rules. Ahead of the big 2022 season, teams have been given a chance to chop and change their combinations and retain a core of maximum four players that they see fit. However, the franchise cannot choose to just randomly pick four. The IPL has mandated that a maximum of two foreigners and 3 Indians can be retained among the list of four players. Here are the live retention details Mumbai Indians Rohit Sharma - 16 cr Jasprit Bumrah - 12 cr Suryakumar Yadav - 8 cr Kieron Pollard - 6 cr Mumbai Indians have chosen to veto their proven performers, but it must have taken some head-scratching to arrive at this list. They have decided to leave out Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan among the Indians, and Trent Boult as their overseas superstar. Royal Challengers Bangalore Virat Kohli - 15 cr Glenn Maxwell - 11 cr Mohammed Siraj - 7 cr RCB have chosen to leave out Devdutt Padikkal and Yuzvendra Chahal, their prime leg spinners for several seasons. Virat Kohli will be taking a pay cut of Rs 2 crores and will be coming down from 17 crores to 15 for the upcoming season.

Follow rules or leave: Perth Test in jeopardy over Western Australia’s hardline stance on Covid-19

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan’s hardline stance on Covid-19 regulations has put the fifth Ashes Test under huge jeopardy. Earlier scheduled to be hosted by Perth, things have come under dark clouds after McGowan openly stated that players along with the staff have to serve a 14-day quarantine period if they wish to play at Perth. “They can’t just bring wives and girlfriends with them, (there are) the same rules as we put in place for the AFL. “It is up to them whether they want to adhere to those rules or not.” This comes after England and Wales Cricket Board had successfully negotiated the terms about bringing family members to Australia after Jos Buttler raised concerns. Buttler had stated earlier that players might be snubbing the Ashes if they are not allowed to travel with their families during the holiday season. In the current schedule, there are no options to accommodate a 14-day quarantine period with the Sydney Test match finishing on 9 January and the Perth one starting on 14. Cricket Australia has chosen not to make any comment at the moment, but it was long speculated that Perth might not able to host the final Test due to the strict regulations in the state. Hobart’s Blundstone Arena might be the frontrunner to host the final match.

SL vs WI | 2nd Test | Day-2: Men in maroon on top courtesy great effort from spinners and openers

The West Indies managed to get on top of the game in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium even as rain spoiled the last day of the second day of the match. Its openers and also the two most experienced batters in the side, skipper Kraugg Brathwaite and vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood steered the team past the 50 run mark without the loss of any wicket. Blackwood eventually got out becoming the first and only Windies casualty on the day even as Brathwaite and Bonner saw it throw until the rain came and never went away. Blackwood was out for 44 off 99 balls while at the time of stoppage of play, Brathwaite remained unbeaten on 22 off 71 balls and Bonner had just opened his account. Praveen Jayawickrama was the lone wicket-taker for the Lankan unit. Earlier in the day, West Indian spinners scurried through the Sri Lankan batting order as they dismissed the nine Sri Lankan batters for only 65 runs as the Lankan Lions collapsed from 139-1 t0 204 all out. Veerasammy Permaul picked five wickets whale Jomel Warrican picked four. Roston Chase picked one wicket as well to make it an all spin affair as far as taking Sri Lankan wickets was concerned.

Jos Buttler ready to experience the highs & lows of Ashes

Jos Buttler is roaring ahead of his first Ashes stint in Australia. Speaking ahead of the first Test match scheduled to be held at The ‘fortress’ Gabba, Buttler stated that he is excited to experience the good and the bad that comes with such a high intensity series. While the preparations have been marred owing to the torrential rainfall, Buttler, who has not played a single red ball match in Australia, isn’t too concerned. "I feel like I have nothing to lose, to be honest," said Buttler. "It's the first time I'm experiencing an Ashes series [in Australia] so I'm fully determined to enjoy all the challenges that throws up. I'm excited to experience it, the good the bad, and I'm sure the highs and lows along the way.” He spoke about the value of being fearless in one’s approach and stated that trusting in his method brings him success. "As a player at the minute I'm trying to bring a fearless approach and to truly try and embrace the opportunity. I know when I get to somewhere near my best that's going to be pretty good." Buttler has been in tremendous form in white ball cricket ahead of the series, but his red ball credentials are still doubted owing to inconsistent performances. He was one of the prime factors behind the uncertainty around the current tour after stating that players could have reservations travelling in the holiday season if their families would not be allowed under strict quarantine regulations. Buttler and co. will be heading into the Ashes next week under tremendous uncertainty around the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus. The fresh cases have further delayed the reopening of Australia and it could be very possible that things might get complicated during the series owing to border regulations.