–as big-name cuts set tone for IPL mini auction

KOLKATA Knight Riders made the most striking calls ahead of the IPL mini-auction, headlined by the release of Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer from their roster.
Russell’s exit brings an end to a long and influential stint for the West Indian all-rounder, while Iyer was their most expensive pick at last year’s Jeddah mega auction.
KKR freed up both purse and overseas slots by parting ways with Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Moeen Ali, and Spencer Johnson.
With Mayank Markande traded to Mumbai Indians, and Chetan Sakariya and Luvnith Sisodia also released, the two-time champions now enter the auction with a commanding purse of INR 64.3 crore and 13 slots (including six overseas) to fill.
CSK, meanwhile, followed up the high-profile Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran trade by releasing Matheesha Pathirana and the New Zealand pair of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra.
Rajasthan Royals, who moved out Sanju Samson and Nitish Rana earlier in the window, continued their overhaul by letting go Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana. Fazalhaq Farooqi, Akash Madhwal, Ashok Sharma and Kumar Kartikeya were among the other RR departures, leaving them with a purse of INR 16.05 crore and nine spots to fill.
Punjab Kings’ release list was headlined by Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru opened up their overseas slots by releasing Liam Livingstone, Tim Seifert, Lungi Ngidi and Blessing Muzarabani.
Mumbai Indians, who brought in Sherfane Rutherford and Shardul Thakur via trades, released nine players, including Reece Topley, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Arjun Tendulkar (traded to LSG). Delhi Capitals saw Faf du Plessis and Mohit Sharma top their list of exits, while Lucknow Super Giants moved on from David Miller, Ravi Bishnoi and Shamar Joseph after trading in Mohammed Shami.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, having traded out Shami, parted ways with Adam Zampa, Rahul Chahar and Wiaan Mulder among others, while Gujarat Titans released Gerald Coetzee, Dasun Shanaka and Mahipal Lomror in addition to trading out Rutherford. Punjab Kings rounded off their cuts with the departures of Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen and Praveen Dubey.
List of players released
Kolkata Knight Riders: Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Moeen Ali, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Andre Nortje, Spencer Johnson, Mayank Markande (traded to MI), Chetan Sakariya, Luvnith Sisodiya
Chennai Super Kings: Ravindra Jadeja (traded to RR), Sam Curran (traded to RR), Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth, Shaikh Rasheed, Kamlesh Nagarkoti

Rajasthan Royals: Kunal Singh Rathore, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Akash Madhwal, Ashok Sharma, Kumar Kartikeya, Sanju Samson (traded to CSK), Nitish Rana (traded to DC)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Liam Livingstone, Swastik Chikara, Tim Seifert, Manoj Bhandage, Lungi Ngidi, Blessing Muzarabani, Mohit Rathee, Mayank Agarwal
Mumbai Indians: Satyanarayana Raju, Vignesh Puthur, Reece Topley, Bevon Jacobs, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Lizaad Williams, Karn Sharma, KL Shrijith, Arjun Tendulkar (traded to Lucknow Super Giants)
Lucknow Super Giants: Aryan Juyal, David Miller, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Akash Deep, Ravi Bishnoi, Shardul Thakur (traded to MI)
Delhi Capitals: Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sediqullah Atal, Manvanth Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Darshan Nalkande, Donovan Ferreria (traded to RR)
Gujarat Titans: Dasun Shanaka, Mahipal Lomror, Karim Janat, Gerald Coetzee, Kulwant Khejroliya, Sherfane Rutherford (traded to MI)
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhinav Manohar, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Wiaan Mulder, Simarjeet Singh, Rahul Chahar, Adam Zampa, Mohammed Shami (traded to LSG): Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Glenn Maxwell, Kuldeep Sen, Praveen Dubey. (Cricbuzz)