Glenn Maxwell has been released by Kings XI Punjab for IPL 2021 after his dismal show in IPL 2020 in which he failed to hit a single six and also failed to drag Kings XI Punjab over the line on several occasions. Along with Glenn Maxwell, there have been other major players who have been let go by the franchise. According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, Sheldon Cottrell, Hardus Viljoen, Jimmy Neesham, Mujeeb Ur Rahman have all been released by the Kings XI Punjab franchise. This comes on the heels of Steve Smith being released by Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2021. Glenn Maxwell was bought for Rs 10.75 crore by Kings XI Punjab for IPL 2020 but he failed to perform.
With the player retention taking place, it has been reported that Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals have released many players. For Chennai Super Kings, Monu Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Shane Watson have been released while for Rajasthan Royals, apart from Steve Smith, Tom Curran and Varun Aaron have also been released. For Royal Challengers Bangalore, they have also released Shivam Dube and Umesh Yadav while they have retained Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson. Dale Steyn and Chris Morris have also been released.
Player retention formula
Earlier in the day, Harbhajan Singh's contract was not renewed by Chennai Super Kings while there is speculation that Murali Vijay, Kedar Jadhav and Piyush Chawla might not be retained by the Chennai Super Kings franchise. According to an ESPNCricinfo report, Daniel Sams became the first trade of IPL 2021 when he was traded from Delhi Capitals to Royal Challengers Bangalore in all-cash trade. Chris Morris, the South African allrounder who was bought by RCB for Rs 10 crore, has also been released while Harshal Patel has also been traded to Royal Challengers Bangalore from Delhi Capitals.
Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab are expected to make some big changes in the IPL 2021 after their dismal performances in IPL 2020. Chennai Super Kings finished in seventh position while Rajasthan Royals also struggled with Kings XI Punjab. Kings XI Punjab might release players like Glenn Maxwell and Sheldon Cottrell after they underperformed in IPL 2020. Mumbai Indians, the five-time IPL champions, might retain the core of the squad which won the record title.