IPL: 3 Iconic Players Who Refused to Switch Teams and Chose Retirement

The IPL had given great cricketers right from the start of the IPL in 2008. Over the past many years, many players retired after their contracts had come to an end and often the teams changed during auctions. However, with the introduction of the Mega Auction, some rules of the IPL changed.

So many players had played 3 above teams in the IPL starting. Few players were so loyal and emotionally connected to one franchise that they chose to retire instead of playing for another team.

Andre Russell

Andre Russell is arguably one of the leading all-rounders from the West Indies and, indeed, in the history of IPL. He started his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils in 2012 but earned the tag of a star after joining Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014. That year, the KKR won the IPL title. Russell is known for smashing big shots in the final overs and scalping wickets. For KKR, he has amassed more than 2,400 runs at a strike rate above 170 and scalped more than 100 wickets.

Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard is one of the best West Indians in cricket. He started his IPL career with Mumbai Indians in 2010 and went on to become a very vital part of the team, playing for it for quite some time. He played 189 IPL matches in which he scored 3,412 runs at a fast rate, often winning for MI many difficult matches. He used to support the ball by snatching 69 wickets. Overall, Pollard used to have a strong effect while working as an all-rounder for Mumbai Indians.

Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina had played many years with CSK. He scored 5,528 runs in 205 matches and made 350 or more runs in 12 seasons. After going unsold in the 2022 auction, he chose to retire because he didnt want to play for another team. Today, he stays connected to cricket through commentary and analysis. He is one of the few cricketers to score 5,000 IPL runs.