On Tuesday, November 30, the IPL 2022 Retention will take place, with all eight clubs submitting their list of players they wish to keep. In the run-up to next year’s blockbuster auction, most teams have been making last-ditch efforts to keep players of their choosing. However, ahead of the IPL 2022 season, key players like KL Rahul and Rashid Khan may face a one-year suspension for contacting rival franchises. Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have protested to the BCCI about the new franchise Lucknow ‘pursuing and poaching’ KL Rahul and Rashid Khan to quit their current clubs, according to an InsideSport report.
According to the article, the Indian board is currently investigating the concerns. “We didn’t get a letter, but we did have a verbal complaint from two franchises about the Lucknow team stealing players.” We’re looking into it, and if it turns out to be accurate, we’ll take necessary action. We don’t want to upset the equilibrium. When there is severe rivalry, such things are unavoidable. But, when they’re trying to balance things, it’s not fair to the existing teams,” a top BCCI official told InsideSport. KL Rahul was reportedly given Rs 20 crore by the RPSG-backed new Lucknow franchise to quit Punjab Kings, while Rashid Khan was reportedly offered Rs 16 crore to join them.
SRH also wanted to keep the Afghan spinner but didn’t want to spend more than Rs 12 crore for him. Currently, Rashid Khan is paid Rs 9 crore, while Rahul is paid Rs 11 crore. If the allegations are proven to be genuine, Rahul and Rashid may face a one-year penalty for violating the T20 League’s rules. Ravindra Jadeja was suspended for a season in 2010 for communicating with rival organisations while still under contract with the Rajasthan Royals. “It’s not right to poach players in football, and it’s not right in cricket.” I realise that new organisations will be anxious to sign the finest players, but providing absurdly high salaries just serves to degrade current teams.
KL Rahul has been a great player for the team, and influencing him to go is wrong,” a franchise official told InsideSport. “As you can see, it’s clearly unjust. The players are under our contract until November 30, and we, and no one else, have the right to negotiate, according to BCCI norms. As a result, it is against the IPL charter. It isn’t just about the new franchises, however. Many of our players have been approached during the break or before an auction in the past, but this time with three first choices, we have our work cut out for us. “We can only hope that the BCCI would impose harsher standards and punishments for both the player and the franchise in similar cases,” stated another franchise executive.