By IANS,
Mumbai : Only 12 players were retained by the five franchises for the fourth edition of the Inian Premier League (IPL) starting Friday.
Champions Chennai Super Kings retained World Cup winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina, local boy Murali Vijay and South African all-rounder Albie Morkel.
Mumbai Indians, who finished runners-up, retained batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, feisty off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard and Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga.
Rajasthan Royals have retained the services of Australian duo Shane Warne and Shane Watson while Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli have been retained by Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers.
According to IPL rules, franchises can retain the maximum of four players for a total salary cap of $4.5 million. $1.8 million is for the first player, $1.3 million for the second, $900,000 for the third and $500,000 for the fourth.