LSG and Gujarat Titans unveil IPL 2024 retained and released players' list, check here
As the cricketing world eagerly anticipates the dawn of the IPL 2024 season, the landscape of team dynamics is undergoing significant shifts. In a strategic chess game leading up to the auctions in Dubai on December 19, both the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Gujarat Titans are making calculated moves to fortify their squads.
In the lead-up to the IPL 2024 season, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have undergone significant changes in their squad. Left-arm fast-bowler Jaydev Unadkat and Australia’s left-arm pace all-rounder Daniel Sams have been released while the team has retained key players such as Kyle Mayers, Quinton de Kock, and Mark Wood.
Justin Langer, the new head coach of LSG, expressed the franchise's commitment to building on its success in the past two years. The team had made it to the playoffs in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. LSG had earlier traded Romario Shepherd to Mumbai Indians and acquired Devdutt Padikkal from Rajasthan Royals, with Avesh Khan moving in the opposite direction.
Sanjiv Goenka, the team owner, acknowledged the difficulty in releasing players but emphasized the importance of retaining a settled and balanced squad. The LSG retained several players, including KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, and Marcus Stoinis.
The team will be active in the upcoming auction in Dubai on December 19 to complete its squad for the IPL 2024 season. The released players from LSG include Jaydev Unadkat, Daniel Sams, Manan Vohra, and others.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans have retained their captain Hardik Pandya, dispelling speculations about his return to Mumbai Indians. The franchise retained 18 players, including Hardik, and released eight, notable among them being Shivam Mavi and Alzarri Joseph.
Hardik Pandya, who started his IPL career with Mumbai Indians in 2015, was released by them ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auctions. He then captained the Gujarat franchise to the title in their debut season in 2022 and led them to a runners-up finish in 2023.
Despite the current retention, the IPL trade window remains open until December 12, a week before the auctions in Dubai. Gujarat Titans have released players like KS Bharat, Odean Smith, and Dasun Shanaka.
The retained players for Gujarat Titans include David Miller, Shubman Gill, Kane Williamson, and Rashid Khan among others, forming a solid core for the upcoming season. The team will look to make strategic moves in the trade window and the auction to bolster its squad for IPL 2024.
KL Rahul (c)
Quinton de Kock
Nicholas Pooran
Ayush Badoni
Kyle Mayers
Marcus Stoinis
Deepak Hooda
Devdutt Padikkal (traded from RR)
Ravi Bishnoi
Naveen Ul Haq
Krunal Pandya
Yudhvir Singh
Prerak Mankad
Yash Thakur
Amit Mishra
Mark Wood
Mayank Yadav
Mohsin Khan
Jaydev Unadkat
Daniel Sams
Manan Vohra
Swapnil Singh
Karan Sharma
Arpit Guleria
Suryansh Shedge
Karun Nair
Romario Shepherd (Traded to MI)
Avesh Khan (Traded to RR)
David Miller
Shubman Gill
Matthew Wade
Wriddhiman Saha
Kane Williamson
Hardik Pandya
Abhinav Manohar
B Sai Sudharsan
Darshan Nalkande
Vijay Shankar
Jayant Yadav
Rahul Tewatia
Mohammed Shami
Noor Ahmad
R Sai Kishore
Rashid Khan
Josh Little
Mohit Sharma
Yash Dayal
KS Bharat
Shivam Mavi
Urvil Patel
Pradeep Sangwan
Odean Smith
Alzarri Joseph
Dasun Shanaka