New Delhi, Nov 25 (PTI) Delhi Capitals have decided to retain their explosive opener Prithvi Shaw, who is recovering from a knee injury suffered during his county cricket stint, while Kolkata Knight Riders have freed up a purse worth Rs 10.75 crore by releasing out of form all-rounder Shardul Thakur.

While Sarfaraz Khan and Manish Pandey, two players no longer suited to demands of a top tier T20 meet like IPL, were released earlier, it is understood that head coach Ricky Ponting and team director Sourav Ganguly have a lot of faith in Shaw's abilities and expect him to get fit before the IPL starts in late March next year.

Meanwhile, with Impact Player rule coming into existence, Shardul's utility at least in IPL stratosphere seems to be diminishing as neither his bowling nor his batting has enough firepower to be slotted among top 6.

KKR with Rs 10.75 crore and another Rs 5 crore in addition will have enough funds to buy some serious talent from the market.

Meanwhile RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad have traded left-arm spin bowling all-rounders Shahbaz Ahmed and Mayank Dagar.

Joe Root, who played only one IPL game for Rajasthan Royals last season, has decided to opt out of this year's IPL, keeping his Test commitments in mind. PTI KHS KHS TAP