The deadline for player retention ended on Wednesday.
It means that players like Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, Shane Bond and David Hussey will also be up for auction. There's no doubt that the Knight Riders management is aware of the risk element involved in not keeping Sourav. Given the popularity he enjoys in these parts, there's a strong possibility of erosion of the Knights' fan base.
The non-retention of any of the players would also allow the franchise to spend from a wider pool. They will be able to spend the entire amount allotted to a franchise in the players' auction. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on November 28, had specified the base price of the respective Indian players for the auction.
The Board had split the Indian players eligible for auction into five separate categories. While the lowest base price for the inaugural IPL was Rs 45,73,000, the minimum for IPL IV will be Rs 23 lakh.
However, all hope is still not lost as the Knights might still decide to bid for Sourav at the auction, if the circumstances are favourable. It might also be wise to mention here that the Pune-based Sahara Warriors are keen on Sourav, given the close ties between the Roys, who own the franchise, and the left-handed batsman.
Gautam Gambhir might be the stand-in India captain but his stock in the IPL doesn't seem to match that of his Delhi teammate Virat Kohli.
Kohli was retained by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) while Gambhir was released by the Delhi DareDevils.
"It's not a matter of any individual. We wanted to go into the auction with maximum money in our kitty," a spokesperson for the Delhi DareDevils said on Wednesday.
Each franchise has been allowed to retain four players, including up to a maximum of three Indians, from their previous season's squad, but they would lose $1.8 million from the permissible spending amount of $9m against the first player retained; thereafter $1.3 m, $900,000 and $500,000 against the next three players.
The RCB has released former India captains Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid while the DareDevils has retained Virender Sehwag.
"I am delighted that Virat will be with the Royal Challengers for the next two years. One of the most promising young players in India, Virat also has some very significant playing achievements to his credit.
"His consistency over the last few ODI innings is an indicator of the excellent form that he is in," RCB director Sidhartha Mallya said in a statement.
Mumbai Indians have retained, as expectedly, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh besides West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard and Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay and Albie Morkel would stay with defending champions the Chennai Super Kings, owned by India Cements of which BCCI secretary and president-elect N. Srinivasan is a managing director.
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