New Delhi: The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises revealed their final list of retained players on Thursday, October 31. There were some major surprises as many big names were let go of by their respective teams. While most of the teams retained their core, Punjab Kings (PBKS) retained only two uncapped players and will head into the mega auction with the biggest purse.
As many as three franchises released their captains from last season as reigning IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) parted ways with Shreyas Iyer, Delhi Capitals (DC) released Rishabh Pant and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) didn’t retain KL Rahul. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) paid Rs 23 crore to South Africa batter Heinrich Klaasen, making him the most expensive retention in IPL history.
While several big names were shockingly released by their respective franchises, there were also some surprising retentions made by the teams. Rajasthan Royals (RR), the only team to retain six players, let go of Jos Buttler while retaining Shimron Hetmyer. They also placed faith on young Dhruv Jurel by retaining him for Rs 14 crore.
Top 5 shocking/surprising retentions by franchises ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction:
Shivam Dube (CSK – Rs 12 crore)
Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube was retained for Rs 12 crore by Chennai Super Kings, allowing them to retain both Ravindra Jadeja and Ruturaj Gaikwad for Rs 18 crore each. While Dube’s performances have been impressive in the last couple of seasons, his retention can come back to haunt CSK in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Had they not retained Dube, they could have distributed Rs 32 crore from the top two slots between their top two retentions – Gaikwad and Jadeja while keeping Pathirana for Rs 14 crore. They could have headed into the auction with a fat purse of Rs 73 crore and could have used the RTM option for Dube.
Having a strong purse would have allowed CSK to target the likes of Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan to secure a long-term replacement for Dhoni. However, with a purse of Rs 55 crore, CSK might not be in the race to sign Pant, who has been heavily linked with the franchise.
Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians – Rs 16.30 crore)
After what unfolded at Mumbai Indians last season, not many were expecting the franchise to retain Rohit Sharma. There were reports of a rift in the dressing room and groupism among players after Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit as captain. The controversies disrupted MI’s season as they finished at the bottom of the points table.
It would have been in the best interest of the franchise has MI let go of Rohit, allowing Hardik full control in the dressing room as captain. However, with both Hardik and Rohit in the team, there can be controversies in the future as well. Rohit is 37 and has not been at his best in the IPL over the last few years. By retaining him, Mumbai Indians have also reduced their remaining purse to Rs 45 crore and might struggle to build a strong team around their core.
Shimron Hetmyer (Rajasthan Royals – Rs 11 crore)
Rajasthan Royals pulled off the biggest surprise in IPL 2025 retentions as they went all out and used all six slots to retain six players. Rajasthan Royals retained Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer and Sandeep Sharma. RR retained Hetmyer for Rs 11 crore while letting go of their seasoned opener Jos Buttler.
The move left many surprised as Buttler has been a stellar batter for the Royals over the years and has played a key role in their consistent appearances in the top four over the last few seasons. Hetmyer scored only 113 runs in 12 matches for RR last season and had little contribution in the team’s success.
Rajat Patidar (RCB – Rs 11 crore)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) retained Rajat Patidar for Rs 11 crore as their second-choice retention after Virat Kohli, who was paid Rs 21 crore. Patidar joined RCB as a replacement for injured Luvnith Sisodia in IPL 2022 and has since become a vital cog in their batting line-up.
However, the Indian batter is yet to enjoy a season to remember and has struggled for consistency. He scored 395 runs in 15 matches for RCB in IPL 2024 at an average of 30.38 and a strike rate of 177. Patidar had a poor start to the season but turned it around in the second phase with some brilliant knocks to help RCB qualify for the playoffs.
Kuldeep Yadav (Delhi Capitals – Rs 13.25 crore)
Delhi Capitals surprised all by letting go of Rishabh Pant, who reportedly demanded captaincy and a contract over Rs 18 crore – the top bracket. However, they retained Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav for Rs 13.25 crore. Kuldeep was bought at his base price of Rs 2 crore by Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2022 mega auction.
The spinner has never been sold for more than Rs 6 crore in the auction. He fetched a Rs 5.80 crore bid from KKR in the IPL 2018 mega auction which remained the highest of his IPL career. DC could have used RTM on the left-arm spinner, who might not have gone for more than Rs 8-10 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction.
