In 2018 Indian Premier League, all players will be sent to auction pool for the 11th edition of IPL. However, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils, and Sunrisers Hyderabad are in favour of retaining key players, which permits team owners to retain players by matching their auction price.
The month-long cricket extravaganza gets over with Mumbai Indians emerging as the champions of the tenth edition. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders who defeated the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator bowed out of the tournament after they were beaten quite comprehensively by Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 2. They were leading the league points table after 9 matches and it was their lacklustre performance in the last 5 matches which didn’t allow them to finish at the top 2 position. They had some performances to boast off in this season like Narine and Lynn. Most players will go into the IPL auction next season, but teams may be allowed to retain a few key performers, like in 2011 and 2014. Kolkata Knight Riders retained just Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Narine in 2014.
There are a lot of players in the team who have been associated for long and the team might look to release them or retain them. With likely only 5 players that they can hold back, it’s gonna be a tricky decision by the franchise to make a call next year in the cash-rich league.
Let’s have a look at the players they can retain in 2018: