Image Credit- BCCI
There seems to be a sudden upsurge in activity with
the Indian Premier League (IPL) retention and trading deadline approaching. The
most recent transaction was a deal between two southern clubs, SunRisers
Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore. SRH sent Shahbaz Ahmed to RCB in
exchange for Mayank Dagar, even before the much-discussed deal of Hardik Pandya
was finalised.
The Hyderabad team opted to exchange Dagar (27), an
all-rounder from Delhi who they purchased for Rs 1.8 crore last year, for
Shahbaz (28), a left-handed all-rounder from Bengal. RCB paid Rs 2.4 crore to
secure Shahbaz in the 2022 auction.
Dagar did not contribute significantly in his three
games for SRH last season. Shahbaz played 10 games for RCB previous season
without much success in his 39-game IPL career.
While this is going on, there is a lot of conjecture
that the RCB would bench Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga for the season.
However, this information could not be independently confirmed. A person with
knowledge of the situation has said that no decision has been made definitively
and that the franchise will not comment on rumours.
Regarding SRH, little information is known on its
releases and retention. The team’s planning may change now that Daniel Vettori
is the new coach. There have been rumours that Harry Brook might be released.
However, some believe that, given England’s upcoming
five Tests in India in February-March, the English batter may get acclimatised
to the Indian conditions, making his role in the middle order valuable. Brook,
acquired for Rs 13.25 crore, participated in 11 games last season, managing to
score only 190 runs, including an unbeaten 100, which translates to just 90
runs in the remaining 10 games.