MLC Domestic Retentions: Taylor, Jayasuriya, Jahangir & Ranjane head to draft

The Major League Cricket teams have announced their domestic player retention lists ahead of the domestic player draft, set to take place on February 19. While teams like Washington Freedom, Los Angeles Knight Riders, and San Francisco Unicorns have opted to retain almost all of their domestic contingent, others, such as MI New York, Texas Super Kings, and Seattle Orcas, have chosen to offload nearly half of their domestic rosters.

Seattle Orcas enter the draft with the highest remaining purse of USD 180,000 after releasing several high-profile former internationals, including Shehan Jayasuriya, Nauman Anwar, and Hammad Azam. Reports suggest that Jayasuriya may have requested an early release from his contract after being benched during the early stages of last year's tournament due to fitness concerns, particularly regarding his weight.

Another unexpected non-retention was star all-rounder Shubham Ranjane. Despite his talent, Ranjane was largely underutilised by the Orcas, which may have prompted him to enter the player draft. Furthermore, he is widely expected to be the league's number-one draft pick, a move that would grant the Maharashtra-born all-rounder a 50 percent pay hike.

MI New York made a bold decision by parting ways with Steven Taylor, their first-ever draft pick back in 2023. The franchise initially took a leap of faith on Taylor's T20 potential but ultimately lost patience after two underwhelming seasons with the bat.

Another significant omission was USA wicketkeeper-batsman Shayan Jahangir. The news comes as a double setback for Jahangir, who is already dealing with