With the deadline for player retentions of IPL 2025 scheduled on October 31, 5 pm IST, all ten franchises are now in the final stages of deciding which players will be retained and who will go back into the auction pool. While a few franchises have already shared their intended retentions, others are expected to finalize their lists by the deadline. The strategic retention moves define how the next season will be.
Here is the IPL 2025 retention list for the teams so far:
IPL 2025 retentions
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
MS Dhoni is expected to be retained as an uncapped player under the recent IPL rules. He is accompanied by captain Shreyas Iyer, seam bowling allrounder Sheldon Jackson, power-hitter Nitish Rana, and Sri Lankan sensation pace bowler Matheesha Pathirana. KKR have been tight-lipped about the costs of retaining their players. This core selection will burn at least INR 65 crore of their purse of INR 120 crore, showing their effort to get stability for the forthcoming season.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
KKR are looking to keep Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Rinku Singh, and Harshit Rana as the plan goes. They might have to let go of their title-winning captain in 2024, Shreyas Iyer, along with veteran allrounder Andre Russell – a crucial strategic call. In such a scenario, if concluded, this would pave the way for KKR’s having a larger auction wallet, and hence, rummaging the new faces in the market.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
LSG are not letting go of both old and young players as Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, and Mayank Yadav, and two uncapped players, Mohsin Khan, and Ayush Badoni have been retained. Even more shockingly, KL Rahul, the franchise’s first choice of captain, has been left out, meaning a change in leadership can be expected at LSG to get a better combination for the team.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
SRH, at the top of their retainers list, have South Africa’s big-hitting specialist Heinrich Klaasen, who will rake in INR 23 crore; former captain Pat Cummins for INR 18 crore. India’s Abhishek Sharma will join for a sum of INR 14 crore. The completion of their core will happen with Australia’s Travis Head and young allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. SRH’s emphasis on overseas talent with young Indians is a powerful statement to them of what they might be looking for in the 2025 season.
IPL fans are looking eagerly into the full retention lists that are due by October 31, wondering how these decisions will shape the dynamics of the mega auction and the season ahead.
Also, see:
IPL 2025 player retention rules: All you need to know ahead of deadline
