IPL 2025: The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises submitted their retention list on October 31 (Thursday) by spending a significant amount of money to retain the key players ahead of the 2025 mega auction.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) holds the largest auction purse of INR 110.5 crores by retaining just two uncapped Indian players. While Rajasthan Royals (RR) with just INR 41 crores to spend at the IPL 2025 mega auction has retained its core players Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal for INR 18 crores each.
South African cricketer Heinrich Klaasen is not only the most expensive overseas player but also the costliest retention by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) valued at INR 23 crores. Surprisingly, the captain Pat Cummins who led his team to the IPL 2024 finals is retained for INR 18 crores, which is the same retention fee in comparison to the Gujarat Titans’ (GT) all-rounder Rashid Khan.
Whereas, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) former captain Virat Kohli with a value of INR 21 crores is the most expensive retained Indian player ever in IPL history.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) has managed to retain Nicholas Pooran as the third most expensive player of IPL 2025 for INR 21 crores.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja have been retained for the same price. India’s ace pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah is the highest-paid retained player for Mumbai Indians (MI).
Based on the new retention rules, all the teams had to make vital decisions by retaining upto six players including five capped and two uncapped cricketers.
Let’s take a closer look at the 10 most expensive retained players of the IPL 2025 season that highlight the strategic approach of the teams before the mega auction.
1.Heinrich Klaasen (Sunrisers Hyderabad): INR 23 Crores
One of the main reasons why Sunrisers Hyderabad offered a hefty price of INR 23 crores to retain Heinrich Klaasen is due to his explosive batting style in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, especially in the finals against India.
Also, the South African wicketkeeper-batter scored a magnificent century against RCB in 2023 which makes him a valuable asset for his team to add fuel to the middle-order batting line-up.
2. Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru): INR 21 Crores
Ranked as the leading run scorer in IPL, Virat Kohli has been the pillar of RCB, who single-handedly guided his team to competitive totals on countless occasions. The right-handed batter recorded 8 centuries in 17 seasons of his IPL career, which is the most by any cricketer. The 36-year-old’s commitment to win the first IPL title for the franchise is one of the main reasons that have led RCB to retain him for a lucrative price.
3. Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants): INR 21 Crores
The Caribbean Wicketkeeper batter Nicholas Pooran has been retained over the former LSG captain KL Rahul. This is because the 29-year-old has added a huge firepower to the batting lineup by playing a few noteworthy knocks in the previous season.
Pooran’s aggressive batting style and experience make him a suitable player for his team retained at INR 21 crores.
4. Ruturaj Gaikwad (Chennai Super Kings): INR 18 Crores
There were rumors that Rishabh Pant would replace the CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. However, the franchise retained the captain for INR 18 crores showing faith in his captaincy and batting skills.
Gaikwad with a dual approach of calmness and aggressiveness has consistently performed for CSK in the top order for the past few seasons. Also, under MS Dhoni’s guidance the 27-year-old is expected to improve his leadership skills to the next level.
5. Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings): INR 18 Crores
It was an expected move by all CSK fans to retain Ravindra Jadeja for INR 18 crores. A promising experienced all-rounder can make crucial contributions with both bat and ball, thereby continuing to be the the team’s backbone for a few more upcoming seasons.
6. Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians): INR 18 Crores
Hailed as the death-over specialist, Mumbai Indians retained Jasprit Bumrah as their core pacer to strengthen the bowling attack. Also, he is one of the most formidable bowlers in the league and a valuable key player for the IPL 2025 season.
7. Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals): INR 18 Crores
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has been retained for INR 18 crores, following his impressive performance in the previous season. Especially, his maiden T20I century against Bangladesh highlights his explosive batting style. Samson’s consistency as a right-handed batter and brilliance as a captain ignites a ray of hope among RR fans to claim back the IPL trophy.
8. Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rajasthan Royals): INR 18 Crores
The Rajasthan Royals opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal rose to stardom at the age of 22 years. His fearless batting approach at the top order prompted the franchise to retain him for INR 18 crores over England captain Jos Buttler who has been the batting line-up’s core part since 2018.
9. Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad): INR 18 Crores
The 2023 World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins, who was the second-costliest player in IPL 2024 has been retained by SRH for INR 18 crores. His dual role as a pace bowler and lower-order batsman brings a perfect balance to the squad. The Australian test captain’s leadership skills guided Hyderabad to its second IPL finals and his presence will be crucial for the team to lift the trophy in the 18th season.
10. Rashid Khan (Gujarat Titans): INR 18 Crores
Gujarat Titans retained the Afghan spin bowling all-rounder Rashid Khan for INR 18 crores. His consistency and game-changing skills to grab wickets at critical moments add power to the bowling line-up. Also, his contributions to batting at the lower order add a new dimension to the squad.