IPL 2021: Bangalore announce list of players retained; Finch, Morris & Moeen Ali released

With the IPL 2021 just months away, the Bangalore franchise led by Indian skipper Virat Kohli has announced its list of retained players on Wednesday evening. The squad has retained its core group comprising of skipper Virat Kohli, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and explosive Proteas batsman AB de Villiers. Simon Katich and the management have also decided to keep youngster Devdutt Padikkal, who had a phenomenon IPL 2020, providing the squad with great starts at the top of the order. 

Moreover, Bangalore has also decided to retain the services of Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini as they eye their maiden IPL title in 2021. Notable overseas players that have been retained include Adam Zampa, Josh Philippe and Kane Richardson. 

READ | Brett Lee Counters Shane Warne, Michael Clarke's Criticism Of Tim Paine

Players retained by Bangalore: 

Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Josh Philippe, Kane Richardson, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Shahbaz Ahmed and Pawan Deshpande 

Rajasthan release Steve Smith 

Ahead of the mini-auction for the IPL 2021 slated to be held in February, Rajasthan has let go of their captain Steve Smith after a series of poor performances in the previous edition. Champions of the inaugural IPL edition, Rajasthan finished with a wooden spoon in IPL 2020. The ouster of Steve Smith from Rajasthan means that the franchise will have a new captain for the upcoming edition of the IPL. 

READ | CSK Retain Suresh Raina For IPL 2021, Cloud Of Doubt Over Jadhav, Chawla's Future: Report

While Smith played all 14 matches in UAE, he managed to score only 311 runs at a strike rate of 131, with impressive performances in the first two games of the league stage. With the likes of Sanju Samson, Ajinkya Rahane, Jos Buttler and star English all-rounder Ben Stokes in the fray, it remains to be seen whom the management chooses to lead the side in the upcoming edition, provided they are all retained. 

Raina to continue with Chennai 

Meanwhile, the Chennai franchise ed by former India skipper MS Dhoni has decided to retain Suresh Raina. As per ANI sources, the franchise has decided to retain the former India batsman along with star players Faf du Plessis and Dwayne Bravo. The development comes as the franchises face the deadline heat of January 20 to submit their list of retained players ahead of the mini-auction. 

READ | Michael Vaughan Tweets On Ajinkya Rahane-Virat Kohli Captaincy Debate, Gets Trolled Again

READ | Rishabh Pant Becomes Top-ranked Keeper Batsman In ICC Test Rankings Post Gabba Heroics