New Delhi: There were no major surprises as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) announced their final retentions on Thursday, October 31. LSG have released their captain KL Rahul ahead of the new season and the star India wicket-keeper batter is set to enter the IPL 2025 mega auction. Ahead of the retention deadline, multiple reports confirmed Rahul was set to be released by the franchise.
LSG made a bold call to let go of Rahul, who led the franchise since their IPL debut in 2022. LSG have given the top retention slot to West Indies star Nicholas Pooran while rising Indian pace sensation Mayank Yadav and spinner Ravi Bishnoi are the other two capped retentions for the franchise. LSG have also retained middle-order batter Ayush Badoni and left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan as the two uncapped players.
Lucknow Super Giants surprisingly broke the bank to keep Pooran, retaining the West Indies batter for Rs 21 crore, making him the joint second most expensive retention behind Heinrich Klaasen, who was retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping Rs 23 crore, making him the most expensive retention in IPL history.
Pooran met with Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka at his Kolkata office earlier this week where he signed the deal to become the top retention for the franchise. Pooran was the natural top retention for LSG after they decided to not keep Rahul, who led the franchise from their debut IPL season in 2022. Rahul was let go of owing to concerns with his batting tempo and overall leadership.
Rs 11 crore each for Ravi Bishnoi and Myank Yadav
LSG have retained Bishnoi as their second-choice capped player followed by Mayank. However, both Indian bowlers have been paid Rs 11 crore each by the franchise. Mayank rose to fame in IPL 2024 after impressing with his teary-away pace. The young pacer who can bowl at over 150kph consistently, has been rewarded after his breakthrough season last year.
LSG’s retention list for IPL 2025:
Nicholas Pooran – Rs 21 crore
Ravi Bishnoi – Rs 11 crore
Mayank Yadav – Rs 11 crore
Ayush Badoni – Rs 4 crore
Mohsin Khan – Rs 4 crore
More to follow…
