IPL 2025: Most expensive player retentions revealed

The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises announced their list of player retention on Thursday, October 31, ahead of the highly anticipated 2025 mega-auction. With franchises eager to secure their core talents, an impressive amount was spent to retain top players, including some rising stars. Notably, Punjab Kings took a conservative approach, retaining only two players, while other teams kept their essential players intact. The auction is scheduled for November and December, where franchises will look to fill the remaining slots.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) committed to retaining six key players, leaving them with a remaining purse of Rs 41 crore for the auction. In contrast, Punjab Kings (PBKS) enter the bidding with a hefty Rs 110.5 crore, positioning them well to compete for high-value players.

South African wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen emerged as the most expensive retention, with SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) valuing him at Rs 23 crore. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli secured his position as the priciest Indian player, with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) allocating Rs 21 crore to retain him.

High-Stakes Retentions and Player Valuations

Though the retention cap was reportedly set at specific amounts (Rs 18, 14, 11 crore), franchises strategically adjusted their spending based on each player’s value and demand. Here’s a breakdown of the most expensive players retained for the 2025 season:

• Rs 23 crore: Heinrich Klaasen
• Rs 21 crore: Virat Kohli, Nicholas Pooran
• Rs 18 crore: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Pat Cummins, Rashid Khan
• Rs 16.5 crore: Axar Patel, Shubman Gill

Complete Franchise Retentions and Remaining Budgets

Each team retained players with an eye on building a winning squad for the next IPL season. Here’s a detailed look at each franchise’s retentions and their remaining budget for the upcoming auction:

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Rs 51 crore remaining
Retained players: Sunil Narine (12), Rinku Singh (13), Andre Russell (12), Varun Chakaravarthy (12), Harshit Rana (4), Ramandeep Singh (4).

SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH): Rs 45 crore remaining
Retained players: Heinrich Klaasen (23), Pat Cummins (18), Travis Head (14), Abhishek Sharma (14), Nitish Kumar Reddy (6).

Rajasthan Royals (RR): Rs 41 crore remaining
Retained players: Sanju Samson (18), Riyan Parag (14), Yashasvi Jaiswal (18), Sandeep Sharma (4), Dhruv Jurel (14), Shimron Hetmyer (11).

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): Rs 83 crore remaining
Retained players: Virat Kohli (21), Rajat Patidar (11), Yash Dayal (5).

Chennai Super Kings (CSK): Rs 55 crore remaining
Retained players: Ruturaj Gaikwad (18), MS Dhoni (4), Ravindra Jadeja (18), Shivam Dube (12), Matheesha Pathirana (13).

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG): Rs 69 crore remaining
Retained players: Nicholas Pooran (21), Mayank Yadav (11), Ravi Bishnoi (4), Mohsin Khan (4), Ayush Badoni (4).

Gujarat Titans (GT): Rs 69 crore remaining
Retained players: Rashid Khan (18), Shubman Gill (16.5), Sai Sudharsan (8.5), Rahul Tewatia (4), Shahrukh Khan (4).

Delhi Capitals (DC): Rs 73 crore remaining
Retained players: Axar Patel (16.5), Abhishek Porel (4), Tristan Stubbs (10), Kuldeep Yadav (13.5).

Punjab Kings (PBKS): Rs 110.5 crore remaining
Retained players: Shashank Singh (5.5), Prabhsimran Singh (4).

Mumbai Indians (MI): Rs 45 crore remaining
Retained players: Rohit Sharma (16.3), Jasprit Bumrah (18), Suryakumar Yadav (16.35), Tilak Varma (8), Hardik Pandya (16.35).