IPL 2018: Kolkata Knight Riders Releases Shakib Al Hasan

Bangladesh star Shakib Al Hasan is set to be one of the biggest attractions in the upcoming Indian Premier League auctions scheduled on January 27 and 28 in Bangalore. Two-time Indian Premier League champions Kolkata Knight Riders have reportedly released the ace all-rounder.

The former world number one all-rounder was with the Kolkata-based franchise since the fourth season in 2011 and played an integral role in the team’s title triumphs in 2012 and 2014. However, he played just one game last season, as the Knight Riders preferred Colin de Grandhomme ahead of him.

Eight Bangladeshi players in the auction:

Bangladeshi news outlet Daily Star has reported that Shakib will be one of the eight Bangladesh players who will go under the hammer. All the players including Mustafizur Rahman, who was denied the Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) for the Pakistan Super League in February last year, have been given the NOC by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

The other six players are Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mehedi Hasan, Liton Das, Sabbir Rahman And Abul Hasan.

Meanwhile, media reports are also suggesting that the Knight Riders are not very keen on retaining Gautam Gambhir who led them to IPL  glory in 2012 and 2014. A leading cricket news outlet claimed that the franchise is mulling to part ways with their talismanic skipper in a bid to keep pace with the dynamics of the league. The franchises are now looking to have those players who can score at a good strike-rate, something which Gambhir had struggled to do in recent times.

However, the team will have the option to buy their players at the auction with Right To Match (RTM) cards. According to the retention policy, the franchises can retain a maximum of five players by a combination of player retention and right-to-match (RTM) cards (during the auction).

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