IPL 2018: Team wise players worth the Right to Match (RTM) Cards

When it comes to the shortest format of the game, the frenzy over the Indian Premier League (IPL) is unparalleled. The curiosity and excitement surrounding the star-studded tournament starts months before the commencement of the matches and this time around, it’s no different. In fact, the madness might just have been stepped up a notch for the eleventh edition of the gala championship, with the two high-profile franchises, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) all set to make a grand comeback in the tournament. The eleventh edition of the IPL in 2018 has piqued anticipation amongst fans with the intricate rules of Player Retention and Right to Match (RTM) cards. While the directly retained players’ list of the various franchises was announced on January 4, it’s yet to be seen how each team utilises their remaining RTMs on the day of the auction. For those who still are somewhat befuddled by the concept of RTM, here’s the deal for you. Concept of Right to Match (RTM) cards deconstructed Say a certain player used to play for Team A in the previous season but hasn’t been retained this time around. During the auction, the same player gets the highest bid from Team B as the signing amount. At that point of time, if Team A has a change of heart (and more importantly, is able to fetch the required amount from their existing purse), they can use their RTM card to secure the player for Team B’s winning bid. By means of judicious permutation and the combination of both direct retention and RTM, each franchise will be able to keep 5 players in their side. The maximum number of RTMs available to each side will be 3. Further, the basic thumb rule of a maximum 3 capped Indian players, maximum 2 overseas players and maximum 2 uncapped players will have to be maintained in case of any sort of retention, be it direct or via RTM. Let’s take a look at how many RTMs each team has left and how they might use them: Kolkata Knight Riders Kolkata Knight Riders. (Photo Source: Twitter) 2-time trophy-winning team, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made a bold move when they chose not to directly retain their long-time skipper, Gautam Gambhir this time around. Instead, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise chose to buy back the sensational Caribbean duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. RTMs remaining: 3 The catch here is that the star franchise cannot retain players like Trent Boult, Shakib Al Hasan or Chris Lynn as they’ve already attained their quota of 2 overseas players. Possible RTM usage: Manish Pandey: The first, evident choice for retention via RTM will be Manish Pandey, who ended the 2017 edition of the tournament as the highest scorer for KKR and 7th highest overall, with 396 runs in 13 innings. Yusuf Pathan: Yusuf has been a reliable source of strength for the KKR squad for years now and he’ll be an obvious choice for an RTM with his run tally of 143 runs last time around, including the highest score of 59. Kuldeep Yadav: Chinaman bowler, Kuldeep has been a sensational find for India and in 2017 IPL, he managed to scalp 12 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 8.29. His ability to befuddle the batsman may work in his favour and get him an RTM card. Royal Challengers Bangalore Royal Challengers Bangalore. (Photo Source: Twitter) Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) made conventional choices by retaining their skipper, Virat Kohli and the ever-explosive, AB de Villiers. However, they balanced it out with an element of surprise when they choose to keep the young Sarfaraz Khan in the squad for 2018. RTMs remaining: 2 Possible RTM usage: Yuzvendra Chahal: Many would’ve expected for RCB to retain the consistent leggie, Yuzvendra Chahal. Essentially an IPL find, Chahal sported best bowling figures of 3/16 in IPL 2017 and had 14 dismissals to his name at a decent economy of 7.65. KL Rahul: The swashbuckling batsman, Lokesh Rahul has proved himself to be effective in every format of the game for the national side and can very well prove to be worth the big bucks if an RTM card is used for him. Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians celebrate with IPL 2017 trophy. (Photo Source: Twitter) Mumbai Indians (MI) have always boasted of a remarkably balanced squad and they seem to be aiming at maintaining that. MI’s choices of direct retention were pretty orthodox as they chose to keep their constant skipper, Rohit Sharma, feisty pacer, Jasprit Bumrah and the talented young all-rounder, Hardik Pandya. RTMs remaining: 2 The predicament for Mumbai is that they cannot retain any capped Indian players, considering they’ve reached their quota of 3 capped Indian players. Possible RTM usage: Krunal Pandya: Elder brother to the sensation Hardik, Krunal will be an automatic choice for an RTM, owing to his impressive show with both the bat and the ball in IPL 2017. Senior Pandya smashed 243 runs in 13 matches, along with 10 scalps at an economy of 6.82. Jos Buttler: English batsman-keeper, Jos Buttler will be worth using an RTM for, considering he accumulated 272 runs in 10 IPL 2017 matches, and can also serve as a backup wicketkeeper. Chennai Super Kings Chennai Super Kings. (Photo Source: Twitter) Returning franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have already stirred up quite the buzz amongst fans. Quite predictable, CSK chose to use direct retention to hold on to the golden trio of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja. RTMs remaining: 2 CSK face a problem same as that of the MI and will be unable to use RTMs for any capped Indian players as they’ve exhausted their quota of 3 players in that zone. Possible RTM usage: Dwayne Bravo: Considering CSK can use their RTMs for either uncapped Indian players or overseas players, Bravo should be their first choice, given how he has responded to the team’s call with both bat and ball. It was in 2015 IPL that Bravo picked up 26 wickets for CSK and won the purple cap for the second time. Faf du Plessis: The Protean captain, ended his 2015 campaign for CSK on a high, armed with 380 runs in 17 matches. He subsequently played just 2 matches for Rising Pune Supergiants in IPL 2017 and will be itching to prove his mettle this time around. Rajasthan Royals Rajasthan Royals. (Photo Source: Twitter) Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be looking to start the proceedings of the glamorous T20 League afresh. Interestingly, they’ve chosen to retain only Australian skipper, Steve Smith via direct retention and the way they’ll construct the rest of the team will be interesting to see. RTMs remaining: 3 Possible RTM usage: Ajinkya Rahane: RR seems to be a little out of options and it’ll be more feasible for them to save their purse for some high-octane bidding in the auction. However, they might put one RTM card to good use by retaining the calm-as-cucumber, Ajinkya Rahane. In his last stint for Rajasthan, Rahane was the top-scorer for the franchise in 2015 with 540 runs under his belt in 14 matches. Kings XI Punjab Kings XI Punjab. (Photo Source: Twitter) Kings XI Punjab have had a roller coaster ride over the years, outperforming themselves in some seasons and fizzling out in others. This time, they’ve made a surprising call by letting go of high-profile players like David Miller and Glenn Maxwell in the direct retention leg. RTMs remaining: 3 Players possible: David Miller: Protean all-rounder, David Miller has been an asset for the Punjab franchise and has fetched them out of a pickle on more than one occasions. As a result, the 28-year-old is quite likely to be KXIP’s first choice for an RTM card. Hashim Amla: Another Protean, Amla needs no introduction. Come any team, come any format of the game, this man is a star and his batting skills will provide KXIP with the much-needed firepower while lending a balance to the team simultaneously. Amla had accrued 420 runs in 10 games in IPL 2017. Wridhhiman Saha: Indian Test wicketkeeper, Saha is held in the greatest of regards for his agile keeping skills. Add to that some serious power-hitting skills down the order in pressure situations and you get the man perfectly worthy of an RTM card. Delhi Daredevils Delhi Daredevils. (Photo Source: Twitter) Delhi Daredevils (DD) cleverly chose to retain Shreyas Iyer, Chris Morris and Rishabh Pant into their squad, leaving the doors open for retention in the zones of uncapped and capped Indian players as well as overseas players. RTMs remaining: 2 Players possible: Quinton de Kock: QDK has proved time and again for South Africa that, apart from possessing a deft pair of hands behind the wickets, he can be a handy batsman for the team in the shorter formats of the game. DD will be tempted to use one of their 2 RTMs on the 25-year-old. Sanju Samson: Young Sanju Samson has been making headlines ever since he made his IPL debut back in 2012. He proved to be worth his bid price when he scored 386 runs in 14 matches for the Delhi side in 2017. Sunrisers Hyderabad Sunrisers Hyderabad. (Photo Source: Twitter) 2016 IPL winners, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) made a well-calculated move by retaining David Warner and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, both of whom have been phenomenal for the side in the past. As a matter of fact, these two were the cricketers who possessed the orange and the purple cap respectively, in the 2017 edition of the tournament. RTMs remaining: 3 Players possible: Rashid Khan: SRH might as well choose to spend one of their remaining RTMs on the Afghan sensation, Rashid Khan. Last time around that the young leg-spinner took the field, he ended up with 17 wickets in his bag in just 14 games, at a commendable average of 21.06. Siddharth Kaul: 27-year-old Kaul performed well for SRH in 2017, with 16 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 18.75. Retaining him via the RTM may turn out to be a tactically clever move for the SRH if it ensures a smaller hole in the purse. Shikhar Dhawan: Last but not the least, the ‘Gabbar‘ of Indian cricket will definitely be a strong contender for an RTM card. The ever-aggressive southpaw had scored 479 runs in 14 games in the last IPL, ending the tournament at the third position of the ‘Most Runs’ list. Fore more interesting updates on IPL 2018 and today’s latest cricket news, keep following CricTracker.com

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IPL 2018: Team wise players worth the Right to Match (RTM) Cards

While the directly retained players' list of the various franchises was announced on January 4, it's yet to be seen how each team utilises their remaining RTMs on the day of the auction.

Rajasthan Royals

RTMs remaining: 3

Possible RTM usage:

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