IPL Players Retention: Gautam Gambhir to be released by KKR, say reports

It seems it is all over between Gautam Gambhir and Kolkata Knight Riders. While Mumbai Indians and  Chennai Super Kings are set to retain their previous IPL winning captains Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni respectively, KKR are ready to let go of Gambhir. 

According to several media reports, KKR will not retain their incumbent captain and West Indies all-rounder Sunil Narine will be their first choice retention. KKR was yet to decide on the number of total retentions, said one report.

Franchisees will submit their retained players’ names to the Indian Premier League Governing Council in Kolkata on Thursday. 

However there is a possibilty that KKR may bid for Gambhir in the open auction. KKR will also have the power of right to match any bid for Gambhir. 

Gambhir had led the KKR to their two IPL titles – in 2012 and 2014. He has scored a total of 3035 runs for KKR in the previous seasons. 

The IPL player acquisition policy gives each franchisee a privilege to keep five players from their incumbent squads. A maximum of three players each may be retained prior to the player acquisition bid, and during the player acquisition auction by “right to match” the best bid. However, the total number of retained players should not exceed five.