After calling Ambati Rayudu joker, Kevin Pietersen shoots down CSK legend's IPL 2025 mega auction retention suggestion
Published - 27 May 2024, 05:32 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:12 AM
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured their third title by defeating SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Following the victory, former international players Ambati Rayudu and Kevin Pietersen shared their thoughts on KKR's retentions for the upcoming IPL season.
The Kolkata Knight Riders secured an 8-wicket win over the Pat Cummins-led team at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, May 26. The Shreyas Iyer-led team chased down the 114-run target in just 10.3 overs. Notably, the Knight Riders secured the top spot in the standings after the league stage.
The Kolkata team built a strong Indian core, comprising Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakaravarthy, as well as quality overseas players. Chakaravarthy emerged as the leading wicket-taker for KKR in the season with 21 scalps, followed by Harshit Rana (19) and Andre Russell (19).
The Winner Should Get An Extra 2-3 Spots - Ambati Rayudu
Speaking on Star Sports, Ambati Rayudu suggested that winners or finalists should be granted 2-3 additional player retentions as a reward for their exceptional performance throughout the season.
"And maybe, you know, the winner should get an extra 2-3 spots or maybe those who reached the final. They should get that because they deserve it, they played a brilliant season, so maybe they should take an extra 2-3 spots in terms of retention," Rayudu said.
Every Single Team Has To Get Exactly The Same - Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen disagreed with Ambati Rayudu's statement and stated that each franchise should receive an equal number of retentions. Pietersen argued that maintaining parity is crucial for building a franchise and ensuring fairness among all teams.
"No, I think that every single team has to get exactly the same because you want to build a franchise and you wanna build a squad. You don't just wanna go and say OK, OK, KKR. You played well. You just go. You go look after yourselves and the team that came last like Punjab, but they don't wanna I mean, maybe they do want to get rid of a few players. Maybe they don't, but, uh, I think it just needs to be exactly the same," Pietersen said.
As the three-year IPL cycle comes to an end, all franchises will rebuild their squads. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will face the crucial task of determining the retention policy. The number of retentions directly impacts team compositions, especially their core, for the next year's tournament.
In the IPL 2022 mega auction, franchises had a purse of Rs 90 crore and could retain up to 4 players, with limits on Indian and overseas players.
Rs 42 crore was deducted from their purse for retaining four players. The first retained player cost Rs 16 crore, followed by Rs 12 crore, Rs 8 crore, and Rs 6 crore for the fourth choice. There was no right-to-match (RTM) option due to the entry of two new teams.
