IPL Retentions

The retentions for this year’s IPL have been announced and unsurprisingly, there were many surprises. With the mega auction, this year’s retention had many different rules, which called for different player selections. All teams have gone for unique strategies and have made IPL 2025 all the more interesting and complex to predict.

Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (16.35), Jasprit Bumrah (18), Rohit Sharma (16.3), Surya Kumar Yadav (16.35) and Tilak Verma (8)

The blue brigade has gone down the conventional road, retaining their strength, which is their Indian core. They spent 75 crores, which was the maximum they could spend to retain 5 Indian capped players. They have released keeper/batter Ishan Kishan, whom they backed since 2018. 4 out of the 5 players featured in India’s successful T20 World Cup campaign. Hardik is set to continue as captain. Many had speculated that Sharma will be released, considering the rift that he and Pandya shared last season, which resulted in Mumbai finishing as wooden spooners. But the team management has got the services of India’s World Champion captain. On paper, the team is looking good with Bumrah leading the pace attack in the start and the death, Rohit set to open, SKY and Tilak in the middle order and captain Pandya to provide flexibility in both batting and bowling. But the million-dollar question is “Will this season see the harmony that was missing last season?” Former coach Mahela Jayawardene has taken back charge from Mark Boucher. With 55 crores and a solid core, you can expect MI to go hard at the table for players like Buttler, Phil Salt or a Pant for a wicket-keeper, overseas fast bowlers… which is their favourite and maybe a couple of good spinners, which they missed desperately the last season.

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (18), Ravindra Jadeja (18), Matheesha Pathirana (13), Shivam Dube (14) and MS Dhoni (4)

When the retention rules were announced, one rule caught everyone’s attention. A player who has not played for India for 5 years will be uncapped. It was more than obvious that the first player to benefit from this would be MSD. The former skipper has made himself available for IPL 2025 and CSK wasted no time in retaining the Indian legend. Apart from this, new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad also stays, along with star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja has announced retirement from T20Is after becoming world champion and has earned himself 18 crores. Skipper Gaikwad, who is currently playing for India A and is itching to cement his place in the national team, will want to make this a big season after how last season ended. CSK lost to RCB and failed to qualify for the playoffs, which is only the third time it happened. Star pacer and death bowler from Sri Lanka, Pathirana is all set to bowl for CSK and spin hitting all-rounder Shivam Dube. They go into the auction will 1 RTM card and 53 crores. They have some players they would want to use the RTM, like Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar. Dhoni’s playing will be a question. Will he be able to play well this season? Will the new skipper get them to the trophy and live up to the legacy? Who will join Pathirana in the pace department and who will be Jadeja’s new spin partner? Expect CSK to go for some young and new players this time, or maybe for some old heroes… which won’t be surprising, considering they believe in the “old is gold” philosophy.

Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (4 crores) and Shashank Singh (5.5 crores)

“Deconstruct and Reconstruct.” That is the way Punjab have gone about their business. Having not qualified for the playoffs must really sting for them, which explains their change of coach. Aussie World Champion captain, Ricky Ponting is appointed the new man in charge of coaching. Punjab have 4 RTMs to play with in the auction, which can be used for players like Arshdeep Singh, Sam Curran and last year’s leading wicket taker, Harshal Patel. With Shikhar Dhawan announcing retirement, they are also looking for a new captain, which could see them raise the hammer for Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant or their former skipper, KL Rahul, who will all be in the auction pool this year. They go into the auction with the largest purse, like they have done before on many auctions. But will they finally get the team that breaks the jinx, or will the wait continue?

Lucknow Super Giants: Nicholas Pooran (21), Ravi Bishnoi (11), Mayank Yadav (11), Ayush Badoni (4) and Mohsin Khan (4)

It is always hard to let go off your captain. And LSG is one of four teams who have gone down that road. KL Rahul has been released after leading them for three seasons, in which he got them to 2 playoffs. The move was not unexpected after last season saw owner Sanjeev Goenka scolding Rahul after a humiliating 10 wicket defeat to SRH. Rahul is currently going through a form slump and is not playing T20 cricket for India. In his place, West Indian star batter Nicholas Pooran is certain to lead, who got the big amount of 21 crores. All-rounder Krunal Pandya was also let go, as they got the services of dependable leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi and speed gun Mayank Yadav. The two uncapped players were batter Ayush Badoni and opening southpaw bowler Mohsin Khan. LSG have made some tough calls, with a futuristic approach. With 69 crores to play with, they will be one of the busiest teams. Expect them to go for players in every department, batting, bowling and maybe even keeping. Like their history suggests, they love having more than one keeper in the 11.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Sunil Narine (12), Varun Chakravarthy (12), Rinku Singh (13), Ramandeep Singh (4), Harshit Rana (4) and Andre Russell (12)

The defending champions have made the tough call to release their IPL winning captain Shreyas Iyer. The move has had split opinions as some feel that it was unfair to let go of the man who got them the title after 10 years, while others are agreeing with the management, considering his form slump in international cricket. He lost his Indian contract recently and had a terrible Sri Lanka tour. They have retained their Caribbean power and given big contracts to finisher Rinku Singh and leggie Varun Chakravarthy, who are both playing T20Is for India. Additionally, they got spinning all-rounder Ramandeep Singh and pacer Harshit Rana for 4. Going into the auction with 51 crores and no RTMs, KKR will have their work cut out. The core is strong but they will have to get a new skipper, which won’t be easy with many teams having a bigger budget. Who will be opening with Narine? Who will take the new ball with Rana? And who will steer the ship?

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (18), YB Jaiswal (18), Riyan Parag (14), Dhruv Jurel (14), Shimron Hetmyer (11) and Sandeep Sharma (4).

The team from the desert has thrown some surprises. First is releasing their two stars. Star leg spinner Yuzi Chahal, who was their highest wicket taker and was in the T20 World Cup squad, and veteran batter/ keeper Jos Buttler, their highest run scorer in the last season. They have let go of both runs and wickets with these two. Secondly, they have given 14 crore contracts to new players like Riyan Parag and keeper Dhruv Jurel. The two youngsters are still on their way up Indian cricket. Jurel in particular has a lot more to prove. As a keeper, he has shown promise but as a batter, he has to score a lot of runs to justify his price. Samson, Hetmyer and Jaiswal, as expected, got the big bucks. Death bowler Sandeep Sharma was the uncapped buy, same as Dhoni. RR have a settles Indian top order with Samson, Hetmyer, Jaiswal and Parag, along with Jurel. But they will be looking for bowlers, both pace and spin. Expect them to go hard for the bowlers in the marque set and the capped set.

Gujarat Titans: Rashid Khan (18), Shubman Gill (16.5), Sai Sudarshan (8.5), Shah Rukh Khan (4), Rahul Tewatia (4)

The Titans have not pulled any surprises as they went for the ones who did well for them. Captain Gill, who has been their star batter and Rashid Khan, their strike spinner who also provides some lusty blows when needed, got the big buck. They gave young Sai Sudarshan 8.5 crores following his good performance with the bat last season. He is expected to bat at the top with the skipper. The 2 uncapped players, Shah Rukh Khan and Rahul Tewatia have been chosen to play in the middle order and give the extra spinning options. Both are strong hitters and capable to finish games. The Titans are going into the auction with a good 69 crores. One could see them going for a star batter like Rachin Ravindra or Devon Conway to strengthen the top order. They would also need a gun pace bowler like Gerald Coatzee or Mitchell Starc, whom they bid for last season. They are settled in the spin department but would want Rashid to have another great season with the ball and even the bat.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli (21), Rajat Patidar (11), Yash Dayal (5)

The team which always promises big but falls short. RCB are one of four teams to have released their skipper. But unlike the other teams, it was not a surprise. Captain Faf is 40 and has had a form slump in other leagues around the world. And with the mega auction, the writing was on the wall. King Virat Kohli has been given the biggest share of 21 crores, which could indicate the fact that he will be captaining the franchise after stepping down in 2021. With him retiring after becoming T20 world champion, he would want to add this feather to his white-ball cap. Spin hitter Rajat Patidar has got 11 and in a surprise move, UP pacer Yash Dayal has also kept his place for 5 crores, thanks to his great performance last season against CSK. But the biggest shocker was pacer Mohammad Siraj was not retained by the team which has backed him all the way from 2018. RCB have taken recent form and injury issues into consideration it would seem as even Green didn’t get a retention. The men in red have a huge purse of 83 crores going into this year’s auction. But will they get themselves the right players this time. Every auction, RCB has always gone against the obvious. But this year, there are many great players in the pool. Will they go for old players like Mitchell Starc, KL Rahul or Yuzi Chahal? Or will they address their longtime death bowling issues and bid for a T Natarajan or maybe an Arshdeep Singh? In terms of batting, there are good batters like Iyer, Pant and even Rachin Ravindra, who has had a good run in Bengaluru, and is almost a home boy. RCB have always had a love affair with batters. They have the money, but who will they shower it on?

Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel (16.5), Kuldeep Yadav (13.25), Tristan Stubbs (10), Abhishek Porel (4)

It was the most astonishing move when Delhi chose to part ways with Pant. The star keeper/batter came back from a horrifying accident and won the T20 world cup and has shown good signs in test cricket. But considering they split ways from Ricky Ponting, this was not a surprise. The team wants to go in a new direction, it would seem. They have kept the services of All-rounder Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, who will be excellent in the middle overs. South African hitter Tristan Stubbs, who was explosive last season and a runner-up in the world cup, was kept for 10 crores. And Abhishek Porel, who was decent at the top last season, has got the uncapped price of 4 crores. Capitals are one of three original franchises looking for their first trophy. In terms of captaincy, Axar is an option. But there is also former skipper Shreyas Iyer, who is in the pool. Like Punjab, they have had many players come and go. But with the spin department fixed, you could see them raise the hammer for pacers like Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, given the sometimes-slow nature of the Delhi pitch. They will be wanting some explosive top order batters to fill the void of Warner and Jake Fraser McGurk.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Heinrich Klassen (23), Pat Cummins (18), Abhishek Sharma (14), Travis Head (14), Nitish Reddy (6)

A team which loves their overseas players, SRH have gone hard for the foreigners. Klassen became the most expensive player in the retention for 23 crores. Captain Pat, expectedly got 18. They retained their 2 openers for 14 each, making sure that their destructive starts continue. Young and promising all-rounder Nitish Reddy was also retained for 6. SRH have got the batting prowess that they had. But given the nature of the game, they would want someone who could play the anchor’s role. They might go for a KL Rahul. In terms of spin, they had some issues last year. There is Moeen Ali and a Mahesh Theekshana in the pool. With 1 RTM, they could use it for Abdul Samad or even a Mayank Markande. With 55 crores and a powerful core, young players or lesser-known stars will be on their list at the auction, with one or two big buys.