IPL 2025 Retention Highlights: Full List of Retained Players

With the IPL 2025 mega auction on the horizon, all ten franchises have declared their retained and released players, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated events in the IPL calendar. The retention lists reveal some surprising moves, with big names like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Jos Buttler becoming available in the auction pool. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings are heading into the auction with the largest purse, while several teams have strategically retained a mix of star and promising players. Here’s a breakdown of each team’s retention strategy and their remaining auction budget.

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Big Earners: Highest-Paid Retentions of 2025

Among retained players, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Heinrich Klaasen stands out as the highest-paid player, earning a whopping Rs. 23 crore for his retention. Close behind are Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Nicholas Pooran of Lucknow Super Giants, each securing a Rs. 21 crore contract. These figures highlight the immense faith franchises place in these players to lead their IPL 2025 campaigns.

Surprise Releases: Major Stars Heading for the Auction

Some of the biggest surprises in this retention announcement come from the list of players set to go under the hammer. Delhi Capitals released their long-time captain Rishabh Pant, while KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, former captains of Lucknow and Kolkata, respectively, will also be available in the auction. Additionally, IPL-winning captain Jos Buttler and experienced all-rounder Glenn Maxwell are among the international stars up for grabs. This year’s auction promises to be highly competitive as teams vie for these proven match-winners.

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Team-By-Team Retention and Auction Purse Summary

Each franchise has approached retention with different strategies based on budget constraints, player performance, and team requirements. Here’s an overview:

1. Mumbai Indians

• Retained Players: Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma
• Remaining Purse: Rs. 55 crore
• RTM Option: 1 uncapped player

2. Chennai Super Kings

• Retained Players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matheesha Pathirana, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni
• Remaining Purse: Rs. 55 crore
• RTM Option: 1 player

3. Royal Challengers Bangalore

• Retained Players: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal
• Remaining Purse: Rs. 83 crore
• RTM Options: 3 players

4. Delhi Capitals

• Retained Players: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abhishek Porel
• Remaining Purse: Rs. 73 crore
• RTM Options: 2 players

5. Kolkata Knight Riders

• Retained Players: Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh
• Remaining Purse: Rs. 51 crore
• RTM Options: None

6. Lucknow Super Giants

• Retained Players: Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni
• Remaining Purse: Rs. 69 crore
• RTM Option: 1 player

7. Sunrisers Hyderabad

• Retained Players: Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Nitesh Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head
• Remaining Purse: Rs. 45 crore
• RTM Option: 1 uncapped player

8. Gujarat Titans

• Retained Players: Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan
• Remaining Purse: Rs. 69 crore
• RTM Options: None

9. Punjab Kings

• Retained Players: Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh
• Remaining Purse: Rs. 110.5 crore
• RTM Options: 4 players

10. Rajasthan Royals

• Retained Players: Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma
• Remaining Purse: Rs. 41 crore
• RTM Options: None

Strategies and Key Takeaways

• Punjab Kings have chosen to retain only two players, giving them a massive budget of Rs. 110.5 crore. This gives head coach Ricky Ponting a significant advantage heading into the auction, as he can afford to bid aggressively for high-profile players.
• Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders have retained six players each, which means they’ll have less flexibility at the auction, with Rajasthan only left with Rs. 41 crore.
• Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals have retained a limited number of players, allowing them to enter the auction with substantial budgets of Rs. 83 crore and Rs. 73 crore, respectively.

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What to Expect at the Mega Auction

The IPL 2025 auction is set to be an intense bidding war, with many top players and young talents available. Teams like Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, with large auction purses, are expected to make bold moves. Meanwhile, fans will be eager to see where stars like Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer end up.

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