Ravi Ashwin reckons Delhi Capitals will not retain him and Shreyas Iyer ahead of IPL 2022 mega auction

While the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) concluded just a month ago, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have started preparations for the next season. Notably, the 2022 edition holds great significance with the tournament going under some significant changes. While ten teams will be on display instead of eight, a mega auction will take place which could see many sides undergoing revamps.

Speaking of the bidding event, all the eight existing franchise will be allowed to retain up to four players from their IPL 2021 squads. This can include up to three Indian players or a maximum of two overseas players. As far as the two new franchise – Ahmedabad and Lucknow – are concerned, they’ll be allowed to pick a maximum of three players from the pool of non-retained players ahead of the auction.

With IPL 2022 being less than five months away, all franchise would be busy planning to build a formidable squad. Meanwhile, veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has hinted that neither he nor Shreyas Iyer will be retained by Delhi Capitals ahead of the bidding event. The 35-year-old made the major claim while analyzing IPL’s mega auction retention perspective.

Shreyas Iyer and I aren’t there I think: Ravi Ashwin

“Shreyas isn’t there I think. I am not there. So, someone else would have to come. I would have known if I were taken,” he said on his YouTube channel. For the unversed, Ashwin, who has been one of the finest spinners in the tournament’s history, joined Capitals in the 2020 season. He was traded for left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith from Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).

While the off-spinner bowled some impressive spells in DC colours, his inability to take regular wickets earned criticism from many fans and experts. In the 28 innings he played for DC, Ashwin picked 20 wickets with his economy rate being 7.55. As far as Iyer is concerned, the right-handed batter has been a vital part of the Delhi-based team ever since making his IPL debut in 2015.

He even led the side to the playoffs in the 2019 edition before taking the side to their first-ever finals in the subsequent season. Notably, Rishabh Pant replaced Iyer as DC captain in 2021 with the latter missing the first half of the season due to a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, DC are pretty certain to retain Pant, Kagiso Rabada, and Anrich Nortje. There could be a toss-up between Axar Patel and Avesh Khan for the remaining slot.