5 instances when IPL teams regretted their retention choices

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most competitive tournaments in cricket. It is also a league where the players would get picked for prices they never dreamt of. More often than not, it creates pressure for the players to perform at all costs for their team. In many cases, it affects the performances of the players, as expectations act as a burden to the individuals.

Some of the costliest players of the league have failed to make a mark in some seasons. While some players have lived up to the expectations of the price tag, others have failed to do so. Some players were retained by their franchises due to their past performances, but had a poor season. It made the team management and the owners rethink their strategy.

Also Read: IPL 2025: Predicting where each team will finish on the points table

Here are the five instances when IPL teams regretted their retention choices:

5. Nicholas Pooran in 2021, PBKS (INR 4.2 crores)

Nicholas Pooran had two good seasons with PBKS in 2019 and 2020, respectively. In 2019, the Southpaw scored 168 runs in 6 innings at an average of 28.00 and a strike rate of 157.01. In the following season, he had a blast by scoring 353 runs in 14 innings at an average of 35.30 and a strike rate of 169.71. Ahead of the 2021 season, Nicholas was retained for INR 4.2 crores.

In 2021, Pooran had one of the worst seasons for a batter, as he scored just 85 runs in 11 innings at a batting average of just 7.73 and a batting strike rate of 111.84. The left-handed batter's best score in the season was 32(22) against RR. In 10 other innings, he registered 4 ducks and single digit scores, failing to live up to the expectations.