IPL 2022 Mega auction is going to happen in January next year. So, before the mega auction happens, each team will disclose their retention for the next IPL 2022 season. However, the two new teams, Lucknow and Ahmedabad will also pick their first 3 players within December. In this article, SportzPoint will give you the probable retention picks of each team (excluding two new teams) for the upcoming season.

The existing 8 IPL teams can retain a maximum of 4 players( 3 Indians + 1 overseas or 2 Indians + 2 overseas).

Also Read: IPL 2022 Retention: Teams now will have INR 90 crore to retain players

Chennai Super Kings :

The current Champions of the league Chennai Super Kings will surely want to retain these players including their captain MSD. They have already won the title four times (2010.2011, 2018 & 2021) under MS Dhoni.

• MS Dhoni
• Ruturaj Gaikwad
• Ravindra Jadeja
• Faf Du Plessis

Mumbai Indians :

Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians won the league 5 times(2013,2015,2017,2019 & 2020). However, the most successful team of the league will be looking to retain these players for the IPL 2022 season.

• Rohit Sharma
• Surya Kumar Yadav
• Jasprit Bumrah
• Kieron Pollard

Read Also: IPL retention rules: old teams can keep four players ahead of the 2022 auction, three early picks for new teams

Royal Challengers Bangalore :

As we know Virat Kohli will not lead the side in IPL 2022 as he pulls out from the job this year. However, RCB will be looking to find a perfect captain for their side in the upcoming mega auction. Now these players from RCB can be restrained by the management.

• Virat Kohli
• AB De Villers
• Devdutt Paddikal
• Yuzvendra Chahal

Punjab Kings :

KL Rahul-led Punjab Kings failed to make the playoffs for both the last two seasons. However, Rahul said that he will leave Punjab for the next season but, the management hasn't confirmed yet. So, let's see the probable retention picks for Punjab Kings for the IPL 2022 edition.

• Mayank Agarwal
• Mohammad Shami
• KL Rahul

Also Read: Most Wickets in IPL in any season by an Indian player

Kolkata Knight Riders :

Kolkata Knight Riders reached finals for the last season but failed to lift the trophy. However, KKR management maybe drops their captain Morgan for the upcoming IPL 2022 season. The two times (2012,2014) Champions of the league may retain these players for the next edition.

• Venkatesh Iyer
• Shubman Gill
• Varun Chakravarthy
• Andree Russel

Rajasthan Royals :

Rajasthan Royals won the league in the inauguration edition back in 2008. However, Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals will be looking to retain these players ahead of the mega auction of IPL 2022.

• Sanju Samson
• Chetan Sakariya
• Jos Buttler
• Jofra Archer

Read Also: 5 Most successful captains in IPL history

Delhi Capitals :

Delhi Capitals is one of the most successful teams in terms of their current form. However, DC management makes a decision that they will hand over the captaincy to Shreyas Iyer for the upcoming season. Now let's take a look at which players can be restrained by the DC management.

• Rishabh Pant
• Shreyas Iyer
• Anrich Nortje
• Kagiso rabada

Sunrisers Hyderabad :

Sunrisers Hyderabad won the league back in the 2016 edition under former captain David Warner. However, Kane and their management will be looking to retain these players ahead of the mega auction of IPL 2022.

• Kane Williamson
• Rashid Khan
• T Nataranjan
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Also Read: Most runs as a Captain in the IPL

Virat Kohli has decided to retire from Test cricket. He has informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about this. However, BCCI has asked him to consider his decision. Earlier on Thursday, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket through a social media post.

According to media reports, Kohli has decided to retire and has told the board that he is saying goodbye to Test cricket. BCCI asked him to think again as an important tour of England is coming up. At present, he has not responded to BCCI's statement.

Also Read: Fav four in cricket: Kohli vs Root vs Williamson vs Smith overall stats

Let's take a look at the performance of Virat Kohli in Tests.

Scored less than 25 average in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Virat's performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was not good. He scored runs at an average of 23.75 in this series. He got out on a ball outside the off stump 7 times out of 8. In BGT, Kohli scored 190 runs in 9 innings including an unbeaten century.

In the last 5 years, he scored only 3 centuries in 37 Tests and his average was below 35. Earlier, Kohli had retired from T20I cricket, but he was in tremendous form in IPL 2025. He has scored 505 runs in 11 matches so far.

Kohli's performance in BGT 2024-2025

Virat Kohli in Tests | Career so Far

36-year-old Kohli has scored 9,230 runs in 123 Tests so far. He has also scored 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries in his innings.

Kohli scored most centuries against Australia

Virat Kohli has scored 30 centuries in his Test career. Out of these, he has scored the most number of centuries i.e. 9 against Australia. Whereas he has scored the least number of centuries i.e. 2 against Bangladesh.

Kohli scored most centuries in his Test career in Indian soil

Kohli has scored 30 centuries in Tests. Out of these, he has scored the most 14 centuries in India. He has scored only one century in New Zealand.

Kohli was better captain than Rohit and Dhoni in Tests

Rohit Sharma and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are the captains who have won ICC trophies for India. On the other hand, there is Virat Kohli. He has never been able to win an ICC tournament as a captain. However, when it comes to Test cricket, as a leader he seems miles ahead of both Dhoni and Rohit.

Under Rohit's captaincy, Team India even had to face a clean sweep from New Zealand. This never happened under Kohli's captaincy. He captained Team India in 11 Test series on Indian soil. India won all the 11 series.

Kohli captained for the first time on home ground against South Africa in 2015. With the support of Ashwin and Jadeja and Kohli's attacking field strategy, India won the 4 Test series 3-0. From here onwards, the team won all the Test series at home under Kohli's captaincy.

Kohli's captaincy in Tests (Home Tests)

Kohli's captaincy in Tests (Away Tests)

Also Read: Most successful Test captains from India

Scored 7 double centuries as captain

Batsman Virat Kohli gave his best performance under the presence of every captain, but when he himself became the captain, he turned all the shortcomings of Test batting into achievements. Kohli scored a record 7 double centuries under his own captaincy.

Kohli could not do much with the bat during the 2014 tour of England, but in 2018 he turned it around and became the top run scorer of the series. He scores runs every time in Australia, and he also scored a century in South Africa, which proved why ICC named him the best cricketer of the decade in 2020.

If anyone has followed cricket casually over the last decade, they're likely familiar with four key names: former Indian captain Virat Kohli, batting genius Steve Smith, English great Joe Root, and New Zealand's all-time leading run-scorer Kane Williamson.

They together are known as the 'Fab Four' in the modern era of cricket.

Each of them has set new benchmarks for performance, continually pushing one another to enhance their skills. These four batsmen have not only dominated the world of cricket but have also met the expectations of their respective nations.

In this article, we will examine the statistics of the Fab Four across all formats.

Fav Four in cricket: How many runs & centuries have they scored in International Cricket?

Virat Kohli has been the most prolific all-format batter among the fav-four. Kohli, till now in his 550 international games, has scored 27,599 runs with an outstanding average of 52.27. His record of 82 international centuries is only second to Sachin Tendulkar's 100 international centuries.

Read Also | Most ICC Trophies by any men's team

Joe Root comes in second among them with 20,724 runs so far for England across formats. However, undoubtedly, he has been the best test batter of his generation with 12972 test runs, which sets him as the highest test run scorer for England. Root has also scored 53 international hundreds, of which 36 came in tests only.

Read Also | Winners list of last 10 ICC Tournaments (men's)

Kane Williamson, New Zealand's highest runscorer in international cricket, comes at number three in terms of international runs among the fav four. The former Kiwi leader has scored 19,086 runs so far in his career at an average of 48.56. Kane is now only two short of reaching 50 international hundreds. 

Read Also | Most Test runs in 2024: Root, Jaiswal, Duckett and more

Aussie great Steven Smith comes at four with 17,165 runs at an average of 47.81. A late bloomer with the bat, Smith has been outstanding for Australia in tests and ODIs. Along with Root, Smith has also been one of the greatest test batters of this generation.

Here is a comparison of international stats of the fav four. 

Read Also: Most Wickets in Test Cricket

Fab Four in Cricket: Stats across different formats

Virat Kohli (IND)

Joe Root (ENG)

Kane Williamson (NZ)

Steven Smith (AUS)

Note: The article was initially written by Abishek Goswami and then got updated by Koushik Biswas

The journey of successful Indian captains have been remarkable over the years. The nation has got exceptional leaders who shaped the landscape of Test cricket for India. 

It is now time to look back at those victories brought to us by the Indian team under such efficient captains. Here are the most successful Test captains from India.

1. Virat Kohli (40 wins)

Virat Kohli is considered to be the most successful Test captain India could ever get! He had a stellar career as a captain from 2014 to 2022. Under his captaincy, India became aggressively dominant in home and held a streak of never losing or drawing a single home series.

Kohli secured 40 wins out of 68 tests, which is the highest as an Indian captain. He also holds the record for most double centuries by an Indian in Test cricket, with a total of 7 double centuries.

India has had several quality test batters, but there is no other captain who could match King Kohli's legacy.

Virat Kohli's test stats as captain:

Read Also: Virat Kohli became the Test captain on this very day; a look at Kohli's legacy as Test captain

2. MS Dhoni (27 wins)

MS Dhoni served as a Test captain for six years for India, and had a stellar career. He holds the record for most number of sixes by an Indian captain, which is 51 in number.

Under Dhoni's captaincy, India won 27 tests out of 60, having a win percentage of 45%.

Dhoni's test stats as captain:

3. Sourav Ganguly (21 wins)

Sourav Ganguly, who is widely known for his contributions as a player and captain for the Indian team, is a prominent name in this list of most successful Test captains from India.

Dada was the Indian test captain from 2000-2005 and won 21 tests out of 49 played. He also holds the 2nd position for record most wins as a test captain overseas, winning 11 out of 28 matches.

Sourav Ganguly's test stats as captain:

Read Also: Most Runs for India in Pink Ball Test

4. Mohammad Azharuddin (14 wins)

Mohammad Azharuddin is another big name to be mentioned when it comes to Test cricket captaincy for India. He served as a captain for 9 years, winning 14 matches out of 47.

Azharuddin mostly enjoyed dominating in home soil and sealing crucial victories for the team. 

Mohammad Azharuddin's test stats as captain:

5. Rohit Sharma (12 wins)

Rohit Sharma is another name for one of the most successful Test captains from India who led to 10+ victories for the team. He is the 5th captain to do so. He was also one of the most impactful opener for India in tests.

Even though Rohit's captaincy tenure was short-lived, as he decided to retire from test format on 7th May, 2025, he still managed to be on top with 12 wins in 24 matches.

Read Also: Rohit Sharma stats in Tests: Is Rohit the greatest test opener since Virender Sehwag?

Rohit Sharma'r test stats as captain 

Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket on Wednesday. 38-year-old Rohit had already retired from T20I cricket. For now, he will continue to play for India in the ODI format and he is also the captain of Team India in this format. After this announcement by Rohit, his 11-year long Test cricket career also came to an end.

Rohit Sharma had a very good Test cricket career and he played for India in this format from number one to number six. However, he was very successful as an opener in Test cricket. 

Also Read: Rohit Sharma stats in tests

Let's take a look at Rohit Sharma stats in Tests as an opener.

Rohit scored most centuries as an opener

Rohit scored 4301 runs in 67 Test matches played in his career at an average of 40.57 with 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries, but he scored the most centuries as an opener.

Rohit was elevated to that role for the first time in October 2019, and since then, no other opener has scored as many tons. Overall, only four batters have scored more Test tons than Rohit in this period.

Rohit Sharma stats in Tests: Most sixes for India

Rohit has hit a total of 88 sixes in his Test cricket career and is second on the list of batsmen who have hit the most sixes for India in the longer format of cricket. If he had hit 3 more sixes in the Test, he would have become the batsman who has hit the most sixes in Tests for India. The record for hitting the most sixes in Tests for India is held by Virender Sehwag who hit a total of 90 sixes.

Rohit Sharma stats in Tests: Most centuries for India in won Test matches

Rohit Sharma is at number 5 in the list of batsmen who have scored the most centuries in Test matches won by India. He has scored a total of 12 centuries in Test matches won by India. Sachin Tendulkar is at the top of this list with 20 centuries.

• 20 - Sachin Tendulkar 
• 15 - Rahul Dravid 
• 14 - Virat Kohli
• 13 - Cheteshwar Pujara 
• 12 - Rohit Sharma

Also Read: Rohit Sharma in ICC tournaments for India

Rohit Sharma stats in Tests as an opener

As an opener in Test cricket, Rohit scored a total of 2697 runs in 66 innings for India. During this period, his average was 42.81 while in these 66 innings, he also scored 9 centuries and 8 half-centuries. His best score as an opener in Tests was 212 runs.

The rising star of RCB, Devdutt Padikkal, is ruled out of IPL 2025 following injury issues, leaving a void in the team. As a result, Mayank Agarwal has been brought in as his replacement for the rest of the tournament.

Find out more about Devdutt Padikkal's injury and what Agarwal brings to the team.

Devdutt Padikkal in IPL 2025

Devdutt Padikkal had an amazing season in IPL 2025 with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru so far. He played in 10 matches for RCB this season and was pretty impactful as a no. 3 batter for the team. 

Padikkal's strike rate of 150.61 this season was the highest of his IPL career. He scored a total of 247 runs in 10 matches, with 2 back-to-back half centuries.

We witnessed some spectacular rhythm of partnership between Padikkal and Virat Kohli, and their perfect sync of running between the wickets.

Read Also: Best Celebrations of IPL 2025 so far: From Abhishek's papercut to Hasaranga's Pushpa move

Padikkal's 2025 IPL scores:

• vs KKR: 10 (10 balls)
• vs CSK: 27 (14 balls)
• vs GT: 4 (3 balls)
• vs MI: 37 (22 balls)
• vs DC: 1 (8 balls)
• vs RR: 40* (28 balls)
• vs PBKS: 61 (35 balls)
• vs RR: 50 (27 balls)
• vs DC: 0 (2 balls)
• vs CSK: 17 (15 balls)

How does Padikkal's injury affect RCB?

Devdutt Padikkal's sudden hamstring injury brings a new challenge for RCB as they might need some time to make proper adjustments in the playing XI. As Padikkal had already established his presence as a number 3 batter, the team may have to try out new combinations to find a solid pace in their batting order.

RCB has already identified a suitable player for this role, but seeing how it goes for the team as the playoffs are approaching will be a challenging thing to witness.

Mayank Agarwal returns to RCB after 12 years 

The Bengaluru born batsman, Mayank Agarwal, who started his IPL career with the franchise in 2011, made comeback after 12 years. This homecoming is a special one for the team as Mayank has significant IPL experience, having scored 2661 runs in 127 matches so far. 

Mayank is likely to play his comeback match with the RCB in the upcoming match against Lucknow Super Giants on 9th May, 2025.

Read Also: A sinking tale of playoffs: Can LSG make it to the top 4 in IPL 2025?

Mayank's IPL career (2011-2024)

• Matches played: 124
• Runs: 2661
• Highest score: 106
• Avg: 22.74
• SR: 133.05
• Centuries: 1
• Half-century: 13
• 4s: 263
• 6s: 98