As the countdown to the IPL 2025 mega auction begins, teams have made important decisions about which players to keep. Here’s a look at the major retentions and what it means for each franchise:
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Players Retained: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Jasprit Bumrah (INR 18 crore), Suryakumar Yadav (INR 16.35 crore), Rohit Sharma (INR 16.30 crore), Tilak Varma (INR 8 crore).
Purse Remaining: INR 45 crore out of INR 120 crore.
Highlights: MI has successfully retained its core group and appointed Hardik Pandya as captain. Jasprit Bumrah is now the highest-paid player for MI.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Players Retained: Heinrich Klaasen (INR 23 crore), Pat Cummins (INR 18 crore), Abhishek Sharma (INR 14 crore), Travis Head (INR 14 crore), Nitish Kumar Reddy (INR 6 crore).
Purse Remaining: INR 45 crore.
Highlights: Klaasen is the most expensive retention this season. SRH retained three overseas players, strengthening their squad.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Players Retained: MS Dhoni (INR 4 crore), Ruturaj Gaikwad (INR 18 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (INR 18 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (INR 13 crore), Shivam Dube (INR 12 crore).
Purse Remaining: INR 55 crore.
Highlights: Dhoni returns as an uncapped player, allowing CSK to keep their legend at a lower cost.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Players Retained: Virat Kohli (INR 21 crore), Rajat Patidar (INR 11 crore), Yash Dayal (INR 5 crore).
Purse Remaining: INR 83 crore.
Highlights: RCB has retained only three players, raising questions about Kohli's captaincy for the upcoming season.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Players Retained: Axar Patel (INR 16.50 crore), Kuldeep Yadav (INR 13.25 crore), Tristan Stubbs (INR 10 crore), Abishek Porel (INR 4 crore).
Purse Remaining: INR 73 crore.
Highlights: The absence of Rishabh Pant means DC will need a new captain.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Players Retained: Rinku Singh (INR 13 crore), Varun Chakravarthy (INR 12 crore), Sunil Narine (INR 12 crore), Andre Russell (INR 12 crore), Harshit Rana (INR 4 crore), Ramandeep Singh (INR 4 crore).
Purse Remaining: INR 51 crore.
Highlights: KKR retained six players but did not keep captain Shreyas Iyer.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Players Retained: Sanju Samson (INR 18 crore), Yashasvi Jaiswal (INR 18 crore), Riyan Parag (INR 14 crore), Dhruv Jurel (INR 14 crore), Shimron Hetmyer (INR 11 crore), Sandeep Sharma (INR 4 crore).
Purse Remaining: INR 41 crore.
Highlights: RR focused on retaining batters, keeping five out of six players as batsmen.
Gujarat Titans
Players Retained: Rashid Khan (INR 18 crore), Shubman Gill (INR 16.50 crore), Sai Sudharsan (INR 8.50 crore), Rahul Tewatia (INR 4 crore), Shahrukh Khan (INR 4 crore).
Purse Remaining: INR 69 crore.
Highlights: The Titans face challenges with no fast bowlers among their retained players.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Players Retained: Nicholas Pooran (INR 21 crore), Ravi Bishnoi (INR 11 crore), Mayank Yadav (INR 11 crore), Mohsin Khan (INR 4 crore), Ayush Badoni (INR 4 crore).
Purse Remaining: INR 69 crore.
Highlights: With KL Rahul not retained, LSG will need a new captain.
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Players Retained: Shashank Singh (INR 5.5 crore), Prabhsimran Singh (INR 4 crore).
Purse Remaining: INR 110.5 crore.
Highlights: PBKS retained the fewest players and now has the largest budget for the auction.
As teams prepare for the auction, fans are eager to see how these strategies will shape the upcoming IPL 2025 season.