New Delhi, Nov 14 (IANS) Former India cricketer Suresh Raina believes KL Rahul is “the backbone” of Delhi Capitals, making it almost unthinkable for the franchise to release him ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 retention deadline.

Rahul, who moved to Delhi ahead of IPL 2025, has been one of the league’s standout performers. His 539 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate close to 150—featuring a century and three fifties—made him the fastest batter to reach 5,000 IPL runs. Given that he also doubles up as a wicketkeeper, Raina argued that Rahul offers too much value for Delhi to even consider releasing him.

“He got a good price in the last auction and performed really well,” Raina said. “As a batter in T20 cricket, he gives you both a solid batter and a wicketkeeper. I don’t think Rahul will leave Delhi; he’s the backbone of the team. Even Axar has played really well in T20Is and ODIs over the last few years. So, I think he should definitely lead the team. The big question is whether they will retain Faf du Plessis or not.”

While Delhi’s retention choices may feel straightforward, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have a few tough calls to make, according to JioStar expert Irfan Pathan.

Speaking on Liam Livingstone, Pathan said: “RCB bought Liam Livingstone for a hefty price, but he scored only 112 runs and played at a strike rate of 133. His strike rate should have been higher. His performance of 112 runs in 10 matches doesn’t justify such a big price.”

He also suggested that RCB may consider releasing Rasikh Salam, given financial constraints rather than performance issues. “Bowler Rasikh Salam does have a place in this team, but his price is 6 crores. So, can RCB put Rasikh Salam back in the auction and try to take him again for a lower price? Because such a player is needed in the middle overs.”

Raina, however, believes RCB are largely settled heading into 2026.

“RCB’s bowling unit played really well last season, and even the batters did well. It was good to see a new IPL winner. The way Virat and Rajat Patidar have shaped the atmosphere of the team is good to see. They won’t make many changes… they will go with more or less the same squad. So, I think RCB is sorted. They can try to get a spinner, maybe someone who can play alongside Krunal Pandya.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad, who made a strong start last season but lost steam midway, find themselves evaluating their middle order and bowling attack.

Raina weighed in on their batting balance: “SRH need a sensible middle-order batter. Ishan Kishan did very well initially; he made a few runs in the first two matches and has a different, aggressive batting approach. Then they have players like Heinrich Klaasen. I think Nitish Kumar Reddy will have to improve his performance because the team and the owners are banking on him a lot.”

Matthew Hayden, meanwhile, focused on the bowling department—an area he believes could undergo major changes.

“The big problem for SRH is their bowling attack. It’s a very good batting wicket in Hyderabad, so SRH need to find good bowlers. Some potential big releases are Mohammed Shami, Abhinav Manohar, and Rahul Chahar as well. They’ll be on the hunt for fast bowlers with variations in the mini-auction. They will need such bowlers on that track because it’s a pure batting pitch.”

–IANS

hs/bsk/