Player retention list announced for Maharaja Trophy 2024

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has unveiled the list of retained players submitted by the six franchises ahead of the Maharaja Trophy. Among the retained stars for this season are Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Abhinav Manohar, and Vyshak Vijaykumar.

The tournament is scheduled to run from August 15 to September 1 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Defending champions Hubli Tigers, runners-up Mysore Warriors, Gulbarga Mystics, Bengaluru Blasters, Mangaluru Dragons, and Shivamogga Lions will all compete for the title. Each franchise has retained four players from their previous season's squad ahead of the player auction on July 25, 2024.

The Hubli Tigers, last season's champions, have retained their captain Manish Pandey, who comes off a championship season with the Kolkata Knight Riders. They also retained wicketkeeper Shrijith KL, young all-rounder Manvanth Kumar, and ace medium pacer Vidwath Kaverappa. Pandey and Shrijith were among the top five run-scorers last season, while Manvanth Kumar was the leading wicket-taker.

The Mysore Warriors, last season’s runners-up, retained their captain Karun Nair, top scorer CA Karthik, prodigious S.U Karthik, and all-rounder Manoj Bhandage.

The Gulbarga Mystics welcomed back southpaw Devdutt Paddikal, who missed the previous season due to injury. They also retained pace bowler Vyshak Vijaykumar, batsman Smaran Ravi, and Aneesh KV.

The Shivamogga Lions retained Abhinav Manohar, who was the most expensive player in last year’s auction with a price tag of 15 lakhs. They also kept Nihal Ullal, Shivraj, and experienced medium pacer Vasuki Koushik.

The Mangaluru Dragons will see the return of top-order batsman Nikin Jose, who missed most of the previous season due to NCA commitments. They also retained Rohan Patil, Siddharth KV, and Paras Gurbax Arya.

Despite a lukewarm season last year, the Bengaluru Blasters retained experienced opener Mayank Agarwal, Suraj Ahuja, all-rounder Shubhang Hegde, and Mohsin Khan.