With the IPL 2025 season just around the corner, the retention and release lists for all 10 franchises have been revealed. This year’s retention announcements bring exciting changes, setting up some highly anticipated bidding action at the upcoming mega auction. Notable players have been both retained and released, as teams strategize their rosters and prepare to chase the IPL title in the 2025 season.
Key Highlights
Biggest Earners in Retentions: Among the retained players, Heinrich Klaasen stands out as the highest-paid, with Sunrisers Hyderabad committing a significant ₹23 crore to secure his services. Following closely behind, Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Nicholas Pooran from Lucknow Super Giants retained their spots with an impressive salary of ₹21 crore each.
Shocking Releases: Some releases have caught fans by surprise. Delhi Capitals released Rishabh Pant, a major shift for the franchise. KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and international players like Jos Buttler and Glenn Maxwell are now set to enter the auction pool, giving rise to an exciting opportunity for teams looking to bolster their squads with experienced talent.
Highest Auction Budgets: This year, Punjab Kings enters the auction with the largest budget of ₹110.5 crore, having retained only two players. Royal Challengers Bangalore follows with ₹83 crore. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals, with six players already in place, have only ₹41 crore left for the auction.
Below is the full list of retained and released players for each franchise, along with their remaining auction budgets and Right to Match (RTM) options.
Franchise-Wise Retention and Release Details
Mumbai Indians
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Retained Players:
- Jasprit Bumrah: ₹18 crore
- Suryakumar Yadav: ₹16.35 crore
- Hardik Pandya: ₹16.35 crore
- Rohit Sharma: ₹16.3 crore
- Tilak Varma: ₹8 crore
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Remaining Budget: ₹55 crore (out of ₹120 crore)
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RTM Options: 1 (One uncapped player)
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Released Players:
- Dewald Brevis, Ishan Kishan, Tim David, Arjun Tendulkar, Piyush Chawla, among others.
Chennai Super Kings
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Retained Players:
- Ruturaj Gaikwad: ₹18 crore
- Matheesha Pathirana: ₹13 crore
- Shivam Dube: ₹12 crore
- Ravindra Jadeja: ₹18 crore
- MS Dhoni: ₹4 crore
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Remaining Budget: ₹55 crore
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RTM Options: One player
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Released Players:
- Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Ajinkya Rahane, Mitchell Santner, Maheesh Theekshana, among others.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
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Retained Players:
- Virat Kohli: ₹21 crore
- Rajat Patidar: ₹11 crore
- Yash Dayal: ₹5 crore
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Remaining Budget: ₹83 crore
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RTM Options: Three players
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Released Players:
- Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Cameron Green, Lockie Ferguson, among others.
Delhi Capitals
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Retained Players:
- Axar Patel: ₹16.5 crore
- Kuldeep Yadav: ₹13.25 crore
- Tristan Stubbs: ₹10 crore
- Abhishek Porel: ₹4 crore
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Remaining Budget: ₹73 crore
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RTM Options: Two players
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Released Players:
- Rishabh Pant, David Warner, Anrich Nortje, Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, among others.
Kolkata Knight Riders
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Retained Players:
- Rinku Singh: ₹13 crore
- Varun Chakaravarthy: ₹12 crore
- Sunil Narine: ₹12 crore
- Andre Russell: ₹12 crore
- Harshit Rana: ₹4 crore
- Ramandeep Singh: ₹4 crore
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Remaining Budget: ₹51 crore
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RTM Options: None
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Released Players:
- Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Phil Salt, Mitchell Starc, among others.
Lucknow Super Giants
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Retained Players:
- Nicholas Pooran: ₹21 crore
- Ravi Bishnoi: ₹11 crore
- Mayank Yadav: ₹11 crore
- Mohsin Khan: ₹4 crore
- Ayush Badoni: ₹4 crore
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Remaining Budget: ₹69 crore
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RTM Options: One player
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Released Players:
- KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, among others.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
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Retained Players:
- Pat Cummins: ₹18 crore
- Abhishek Sharma: ₹14 crore
- Nitiesh Reddy: ₹6 crore
- Heinrich Klaasen: ₹23 crore
- Travis Head: ₹14 crore
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Remaining Budget: ₹45 crore
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RTM Options: One uncapped player
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Released Players:
- Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Washington Sundar, among others.
Gujarat Titans
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Retained Players:
- Rashid Khan: ₹18 crore
- Shubman Gill: ₹16.5 crore
- Sai Sudharsan: ₹8.5 crore
- Rahul Tewatia: ₹4 crore
- Shahrukh Khan: ₹4 crore
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Remaining Budget: ₹69 crore
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RTM Options: One player
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Released Players:
- David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Noor Ahmad, among others.
Punjab Kings
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Retained Players:
- Shashank Singh: ₹6.5 crore
- Prabhsimran Singh: ₹4 crore
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Remaining Budget: ₹110.5 crore
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RTM Options: Four players
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Released Players:
- Arshdeep Singh, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Sikandar Raza, among others.
Rajasthan Royals
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Retained Players:
- Sanju Samson: ₹18 crore
- Yashasvi Jaiswal: ₹18 crore
- Riyan Parag: ₹14 crore
- Dhruv Jurel: ₹14 crore
- Shimron Hetmyer: ₹11 crore
- Sandeep Sharma: ₹4 crore
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Remaining Budget: ₹41 crore
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RTM Options: None
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Released Players:
- Jos Buttler, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, among others.
Auction Dynamics and Expectations
As the teams look ahead to the auction, it’s clear that several high-profile releases will stir up bidding wars. Players like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Jos Buttler are expected to fetch top prices. Meanwhile, teams with sizable budgets, like Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, will likely look to strengthen their core by adding both experienced and emerging talents.
The diverse player pool and different budget situations across franchises promise an exciting auction season. Whether teams have retained their star players or chosen to shake up their lineups, each franchise will enter the auction with a unique strategy, making IPL 2025 a season full of new alliances, rivalries, and much-anticipated performances.