Hyderabad: The D-day has unfolded with a series of unexpected twists and bold moves, leaving fans and analysts alike reeling. Speculation surrounding retention and release decisions finally came to a close, but few could have predicted the magnitude of the surprises revealed.
In one of the most stunning developments, the Lucknow Super Giants franchise released their skipper KL Rahul, a move that shook the cricketing world. Known for his match-winning abilities and long-standing association with the team, his departure has left fans in disbelief, sparking a wave of social media reactions and heated discussions.
Several high-profile veterans, once thought to be indispensable, found themselves released as franchises made tough calls, reshaping their lineups with a fresh approach.
Here’s a closer look at each franchise’s probable retention choices ahead of the next season.
How much will the retentions cost?
The auction purse for each team is set at INR 120 Crore for the IPL 2025 season. The IPL Governing Council has also laid out the prices for each retention which are as:
1st Retention – INR 18 Crore
2nd Retention – INR 14 Crore
3rd Retention– INR 11 Crore
4th Retention – INR 18 Crore
5th Retention – INR 14 Crore
The franchises can also tweak prices for each retention as per their whims and agreement with the players but the minimum amount for five retentions will remain at INR 75 Crore. On the other hand, retaining an uncapped player will cost INR 4 Crore to the franchises.
What is the uncapped player rule?
The uncapped player rule which was discontinued in 2021, has been also brought back for the upcoming season. As per the rule, any Indian player will be counted as uncapped if he hasn't played international cricket in the preceding five years from the starting year of the next season. Hence, legendary Chennai Super Kings wicketkeeper batter can be retained as an uncapped player.
Apart from him, players like Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Amit Mishra, Vijay Shankar, Mayank Markande, Karn Sharma and Rishi Dhawan also qualify as uncapped player. Meanwhile, the IPL governing council hasn’t announced the date and venue of the auction yet and is likely to unveil it soon after the retentions.
Gujarat Titans (GT) IPL 2025 Retained Players List
The 2022 champions aim to retain a core group led by young stars:
Shubman Gill
Rashid Khan
Sai Sudarshan
Shahrukh Khan (Uncapped)
Rahul Tewatia (Uncapped)
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) IPL 2025 Retained Players List
In a surprising development, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) released their captain, KL Rahul, allowing him to enter the auction pool. Hence, the retention list looks like:
Nicholas Pooran
Mayank Yadav
Ayush Badoni (Uncapped)
Ravi Bishnoi
Mohsin Khan (Uncapped)
Mumbai Indians (MI) IPL 2025 Retained Players List
Mumbai Indians, the most successful IPL team, retained a formidable lineup:
Rohit Sharma
Hardik Pandya
Jasprit Bumrah
Suryakumar Yadav
Tilak Varma