The countdown to the 2025 IPL season has officially begun, as the ten franchises have released their retention lists, revealing the players staying and those heading to the auction. The excitement now builds towards the mega auction later this year, where released players and new talents will seek new team alignments, sparking a bidding frenzy among franchises.

Top Retained Players and Salaries

The big news on the retention list is Heinrich Klaasen securing the highest salary, with Sunrisers Hyderabad retaining him for a staggering INR 23 crore. Close behind are Virat Kohli and Nicholas Pooran, who will earn INR 21 crore each at Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow SuperGiants, respectively. These top earners will be essential assets as their teams strategize for the upcoming season, with Kohli’s leadership and Klaasen’s firepower playing key roles.

Shocking Releases: Major Players Heading to the Auction

This year’s retention decisions featured some unexpected moves. In a surprise twist, Delhi Capitals released their franchise star Rishabh Pant, a decision that has the cricket world buzzing. Other marquee players like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Arshdeep Singh will also enter the auction, offering teams a chance to strengthen their lineups with experienced Indian talent. Overseas stars Jos Buttler and Glenn Maxwell add to the premium international talent available, ensuring fierce competition at the auction.

Franchise Retention Strategies and Auction Budgets

The auction budgets reveal each team’s approach to building their squads:

• Punjab Kings have retained only two players, giving head coach Ricky Ponting the largest budget of INR 110.5 crore for the auction. This war chest enables the Kings to build a fresh squad and target marquee players.
• Royal Challengers Bangalore entered with INR 83 crore and only three retained players, keeping flexibility in their selection strategy.
• Delhi Capitals have INR 73 crore under new management, following a roster shake-up and retaining four key players for a fresh approach in 2025.
• Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals have taken a different route, retaining six players each. However, Rajasthan enters the auction with INR 41 crore and faces constraints with no Right-to-Match (RTM) cards available.

Full Retention List and Remaining Budgets by Franchise

Below is a detailed breakdown of each team’s retentions and remaining budget heading into the auction:

Mumbai Indians

• Retained Players: Jasprit Bumrah (INR 18 cr), Suryakumar Yadav (INR 16.35 cr), Hardik Pandya (INR 16.35 cr), Rohit Sharma (INR 16.3 cr), Tilak Varma (INR 8 cr)
• Remaining Purse: INR 55 crore

Chennai Super Kings

• Retained Players: Ruturaj Gaikwad (INR 18 cr), Matheesha Pathirana (INR 13 cr), Shivam Dube (INR 12 cr), Ravindra Jadeja (INR 18 cr), MS Dhoni (INR 4 cr)
• Remaining Purse: INR 55 crore

Royal Challengers Bangalore

• Retained Players: Virat Kohli (INR 21 cr), Rajat Patidar (INR 11 cr), Yash Dayal (INR 5 cr)
• Remaining Purse: INR 83 crore

Delhi Capitals

• Retained Players: Axar Patel (INR 16.5 cr), Kuldeep Yadav (INR 13.25 cr), Tristan Stubbs (INR 10 cr), Abhishek Porel (INR 4 cr)
• Remaining Purse: INR 73 crore

Kolkata Knight Riders

• Retained Players: Rinku Singh (INR 13 cr), Varun Chakaravarthy (INR 12 cr), Sunil Narine (INR 12 cr), Andre Russell (INR 12 cr), Harshit Rana (INR 4 cr), Ramandeep Singh (INR 4 cr)
• Remaining Purse: INR 51 crore

Lucknow SuperGiants

• Retained Players: Nicholas Pooran (INR 21 cr), Ravi Bishnoi (INR 11 cr), Mayank Yadav (INR 11 cr), Mohsin Khan (INR 4 cr), Ayush Badoni (INR 4 cr)
• Remaining Purse: INR 69 crore

Sunrisers Hyderabad

• Retained Players: Pat Cummins (INR 18 cr), Abhishek Sharma (INR 14 cr), Nitesh Reddy (INR 6 cr), Heinrich Klaasen (INR 23 cr), Travis Head (INR 14 cr)
• Remaining Purse: INR 45 crore

Gujarat Titans

• Retained Players: Rashid Khan (INR 18 cr), Shubman Gill (INR 16.5 cr), Sai Sudharsan (INR 8.5 cr), Rahul Tewatia (INR 4 cr), Shahrukh Khan (INR 4 cr)
• Remaining Purse: INR 69 crore

Punjab Kings

• Retained Players: Shashank Singh (INR 5.5 cr), Prabhsimran Singh (INR 4 cr)
• Remaining Purse: INR 110.5 crore

Rajasthan Royals

• Retained Players: Sanju Samson (INR 18 cr), Yashasvi Jaiswal (INR 18 cr), Riyan Parag (INR 14 cr), Dhruv Jurel (INR 14 cr), Shimron Hetmyer (INR 11 cr), Sandeep Sharma (INR 4 cr)
• Remaining Purse: INR 41 crore

Conclusion: 2025 IPL Auction Set for Fireworks

With the stage set, the 2025 IPL auction promises to be filled with high-stakes bidding wars as teams fight to secure the best players. Each franchise’s budget and retention strategy will heavily impact their bidding choices, and with major Indian and international stars up for grabs, the competition will be fierce. From shocking releases to massive retention salaries, the auction will be a defining moment for each franchise’s journey in the 2025 season, setting the groundwork for a thrilling year of IPL action.

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