IPL 2023: 4 Players Who Were Shockingly Released Ahead Of IPL Auction on December 23

Bengaluru, November 16: All the 10 teams announced player retention and release ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, and as it happens with such a process there are a few players who surprised us with their contract termination.

Here we are looking at 4 cricketers who rather shockingly did not get a retention from their respective franchises.

1. Kane Williamson

Williamson has led Sunrisers Hyderabad with determination in the last couple of season after taking over from David Warner post the Sandpaper Gate. But while overall batting record and captaincy credentials remained satisfactory, Williamson could not force his way in T20 and a tepid performance in the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2022 too might have played a part in that.

2. Nicholas Pooran

The West Indies captain came to Sunrisers Hyderabad after good season with Punjab Kings, where he struck the ball with great power. But at the SRH, Pooran could not replicate his explosive ways. Generally, as a wicketkeeper batter Pooran offers you two birds in one cage. The left-hander also failed to lead WI into the Super 12 of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 but one would have expected the SRH management to give some more time to Pooran to establish himself in the team.

3 Mayank Agarwal

Removing Mayank from captaincy was more or less on expected lines as the Punjab Kings bade good bye to all the support from the last season including coach Anil Kumble after another less than satisfactory season. But the Karnataka batter does not getting a contract extension was quite surprising as the opener still remains a very fine player and could make an impact at the pole position.

4 Alex Hales

Hales is a very fine opener and his capabilities were full on view against India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 semifinals. Hales and Jos Buttler shared a massive alliance for the opening wicket to defeat India by 10 wickets at the Adelaide Oval. So, the Kolkata Knight Riders, who have also released Aaron Finch, perhaps could have stuck with the English opener.