'Worst release ever' - Twitter baffled over Rashid Khan's non-retention

Rashid, it is understood, was keen to get retained as the first player, although the arrangement could not be made between him and the franchise.

By Pratyay Tiwari

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Rashid Khan
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Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: Instagram)

Rashid Khan’s non-retention was unarguably one of the biggest highlights on November 30, the final date for the existing eight IPL franchises to name their retentions ahead of the mega auction before IPL 2022.

Rashid, it is learnt, was keen to be the first retention of the franchise, which would have fetched him INR 16 crore had SRH retained four players, INR 15 crore in case of three retentions, or INR 14 crore in case of two retentions. However, that arrangement could not be made as the Sunrisers were inclined to keep skipper Kane Williamson as the first retention.

Agreeing to be retained as the second player would have meant Rashid could have, at best, received INR 11 Crores (three retentions) or INR 10 Crores (two retentions). However, he will highly likely get a much heavier paycheck at the mega auction.

As for the other spots, the team went ahead with uncapped Jammu and Kashmir talents Abdul Samad and Umran Malik, who impressed aplenty with searing pace in the IPL 2021. Malik, who played a solitary List A game and one T20 for Jammu and Kashmir, was supposed to be involved only as a net bowler for the team but was drafted into the main squad after T Natarajan contracted with Covid-19 and was ruled out.

Malik constantly clocked in the higher 140s, while also breaching the 150-mark multiple times in his maiden IPL game against Kolkata Knight Riders, and followed with a similar express fast effort against Royal Challengers Bangalore, when he delivered 152.9 km/h thunderbolt – the fastest ball of the season.

Hard-hitting all-rounder Samad, on the other hand, has been a revelation for the team since his debut in 2020. Samad delivered handy cameos down the order for the team in both editions, with his runs coming at a strike rate of 146-plus.

Meanwhile, Rashid, one of the most sought-after players in the T20 world currently, will now be available to be picked by the two new teams. If not picked there, he will head into the auction pool, with all 10 teams expected to show interest in him.

Even though hiring Rashid back for an amount lesser than the retention fees is unlikely, it is not hard to predict Sunrisers would at least try acquiring the Afghanistan leggie during the bidding. If they fail to do so, it would be the first season for Rashid with any other franchise, as his association with SRH dates back to his debut year 2013.

So far, in 76 IPL matches, he has picked 93 wickets at 20.56 and a miserly economy of 6.33. In his overall career, Rashid has 400 wickets at 17.55 from 289 T20s.

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