The TATA IPL 2025 craze started yesterday, on one of India’s favourite festivals Diwali, with shocking releases and retentions taking place. In today’s post, we will look at which players each team retained.
Chennai Super Kings:
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Mateesha Patirana
- Shivam Dube
CSK’s fifth and final retention is a game-changer—an uncapped player who defined leadership in cricket, led Team India to three ICC titles, and is celebrated as the greatest captain of all time. With this monumental retention, CSK reignites the legacy of none other than…
With MS Dhoni, aka “Thala,” retained for another season, IPL 2025 just got a whole lot more thrilling! CSK’s retentions show incredible balance: they’ve held onto their captain and star batsman, their go-to death-overs bowler, a primary six -hitter, a key all-rounder and one of cricket’s all-time greats- Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Dhoni brings so much more than just his wicketkeeping; he’s the finisher, the strategist, the heart of the team, guiding them in every intense moment.
CSK could have retained one more overseas batsman, like Rachin Ravindra or Devon Conway, but with the RTM card back, they may be able to buy one of them back in the auction without much trouble.
Interestingly, CSK has chosen to let go of some significant players, including Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Tushar Deshpande—whom they’ve nurtured over the last two years— Daryl Mitchell, Maheesh Theekshana and more.
With this, Chennai Super Kings have 55 Crore in their purse for the auction.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
- Virat Kohli
- Rajat Patidar
- Yash Dayal
RCB’s retentions this year are, well, a bit unconventional! Of course, their first pick is a no-brainer—their talisman and IPL’s all-time top scorer, Virat Kohli, often hailed as one of the greatest. The second retention goes to young talent Rajat Patidar, rewarding his emerging potential. But the real surprise? Their third retention: Yash Dayal, a move no one quite expected. RCB seems to be banking on a mix of experience and fresh faces, and it’s going to be exciting to see how these choices shape their campaign this season.
However, they’ve let go of some major players, including former captain Faf Du Plessis, powerhouses like Lockie Ferguson, Mohammad Siraj, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Will Jacks, and others. This shake-up suggests a massive revamp strategy heading into the auction, and with a strong ₹83 crore in their auction purse, they’re primed for bold moves to build a fresh, competitive squad.
Mumbai Indians:
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Hardik Pandya
- Rohit Sharma
- Tilak Varma
Mumbai’s retentions this year show a well-rounded strategy, much like CSK’s approach. Leading with their star pacer Jasprit Bumrah and dynamic batter Suryakumar Yadav, they’ve retained strong cornerstones in both bowling and batting. With captain and powerhouse all-rounder Hardik Pandya steering the team, they’ve further bolstered their top order by keeping the iconic “Hitman,” Rohit Sharma, for both experience and explosive starts. Rounding off their list is young talent Tilak Varma, who brings fresh potential to the squad.
Here are a few of the players MI have released: first up is wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan, known for his explosive batting as an opener. They’ve also parted ways with six-hitter Tim David, a powerhouse in the middle order. Dynamic youngster Dewald Brewis is another talent they’ve let go, along with Arjun Tendulkar, who has been working hard to make his mark. These departures signal a significant shift as MI looks to rebuild and strengthen their lineup for the upcoming season. They have a decent amount of 45 CR left in their purse.
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
- Heinrich Klassen
- Pat Cummins
- Travis Head
- Abhishek Sharma
- Nitish Reddy Kumar
From the franchise’s standpoint, SRH’s retentions make sense—they’ve kept their core players who delivered solid performances last season. However, from a fan’s perspective, one big question arises: Where is Bhuvneshwar Kumar? Despite a quieter season, Bhuvneshwar remains a fan favourite, and his absence is bound to bring some disappointment. While SRH’s retained list looks balanced overall, they might have considered keeping a bowler as their sixth pick. With Pat Cummins as the only bowler retained and the rest being batsmen, SRH’s focus for the auction seems clear—they’ll be targeting bowlers who can bring much-needed impact to their lineup.
Among the players SRH have released are Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T. Natarajan, Aiden Markram, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, and Rahul Tripathi, along with several others.
SRH have around 45 CR to spend in the auction this year.
Punjab Kings:
- Shashank Singh
- Prabhsimran Singh
With only two uncapped players retained, PBKS clearly aims for a complete overhaul in this mega auction, signaling their intent to rebuild from scratch. They’ve released nearly everyone, including star players like Kagiso Rabada. Known for frequently revamping their squad—even in mini auctions—PBKS is sticking to its trend of refreshing the lineup as much as possible.
PBKS has parted ways with several big names, including Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Sikandar Raza, Liam Livingstone, and Rilee Rossouw, among many others. PBKS has the most money left, with 110.5 CR to spend in the auction.
Delhi Capitals:
- Axar Patel
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Tristian Stubbs
- Abishek Porel
Well, it turns out the rumours were spot on when Rishabh Pant sent out that cryptic tweet a few weeks ago, saying:
Delhi’s retentions look solid overall, but one big question remains: who will captain DC in 2025? Will they promote Axar Patel to captain, or are they planning to bring in a leader from the auction to steer the team in the IPL’s 18th season? And why did they release their captain, who was also their highest run-scorer last year? There’s a lot to speculate on, and fans will be eagerly awaiting answers to these big questions.
Some of the key players Delhi has released include Rishabh Pant, who served as captain and was their top run-scorer last season, as well as star opener David Warner. Other notable releases are Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, Shai Hope, and Lungi Ngidi, among others. DC have 73 CR left in their purse.
Kolkata Knight Riders:
- Sunil Narine
- Varun Chakravarty
- Harshit Rana
- Ramandeep Singh
- Andre Russell
The two finalists of last year’s IPL have completely opposite retentions. SRH mostly retained batsman, and KKR have only retained bowlers. In that two of their experienced veterans Sunil Narina and Andre Russell have been retained, but their captain Shreyas Iyer, and the highest paid player in the IPL Mitchell Starc both have been released. Shreyas Iyer’s release came as a surprise, because which team would release their captain who led them to the title after 10 long years? CEO Venky Mysore stated that-
“The most interesting thing about retention is that there are many aspects that play an important role in it. However, the most important thing about retention is the agreement between the team and the player, which many people sometimes do not understand.
The franchise does not have a one-sided influence in this. The player also has to agree keeping many factors in mind. Sometimes some things cannot be agreed upon. The reason for this is money or the player wants to test his value or something else. All these things also matter. But Shreyas Iyer was the first choice in our retention list.”
They’ve released several big names, including Shreyas Iyer and Mitchell Starc, along with Nitish Rana who missed out last season due to injury, Rahmanullah Gurbaaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Vaibhav Arora, and many others. KKR have 51 CR left to spend in the auction.
Rajasthan Royals:
- Sanju Samson
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Riyan Parag
- Dhruv Jurel
- Shimron Hetmyer
- Sandeep Sharma
RR has utilized all their six retention slots, but it’s surprising to see the beloved duo of Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal missing from the list. However, the players they have retained have all performed their roles admirably last season, showcasing solid contributions to the team. Overall, these are commendable retentions. That said, RR will have only ₹41 crore left to revamp their squad in the 2025 IPL Mega Auction, so they’ll need to strategize carefully to make the most of their budget.
The released players include their explosive opener Jos Buttler and the highest wicket-taker in IPL history, Yuzvendra Chahal. Additionally, Ravichandran Ashwin, Adam Zampa, and the West Indian power hitter Rovman Powell have also been let go. These significant departures signal a shift in strategy for RR as they look to rebuild and strengthen their squad ahead of the upcoming season.
Lucknow Super Giants:
- Nicholas Pooran
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Mayank Yadav
- Mohsin Khan
Ayush BadoniAs the rumors suggested, LSG has not retained their first-ever signing, KL Rahul, vacating the captain’s position. Nicholas Pooran stands as a likely candidate for captaincy, given his prior experience leading the West Indies from May to November 2022. Overall, LSG’s retentions look solid, reflecting a clear strategy to build a strong core. This approach suggests that they are focused on creating a stable foundation for the upcoming season.
LSG has parted ways with some big names, including KL Rahul, Krunal Pandya, and Devdutt Padikkal. Surprisingly, they’ve also released Marcus Stoinis, a consistent match-winner who notably smashed a memorable century against CSK in Chepauk last season. The South African powerhouse, Quinton de Kock, has also been let go, along with Naveen-ul-Haq, who brought plenty of on-field drama, especially in the 2023 season (if you know, you know!).
Gujarat Titans:
- Rashid Khan
- Shubman Gill
- B Sai Sudharsan
- Rahul Tewatia
- Shahrukh Khan
Gujarat Titans have locked in their key players like Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill, but surprisingly, they didn’t retain Mohit Sharma—their reliable bowler in death overs. With one retention slot left, many wonder if Mohit could have been held back, especially with a solid 69 crore budget remaining. Retaining him for 6-7 crores would still leave GT with a comfortable 62-63 crore balance, ample for the auction. Alternatively, some might argue that Rahul Tewatia’s slot could have gone to Mohit. But these are questions without answers now, so let’s move forward!
Gujarat Titans have released several notable players, including Mohit Sharma, David Miller, Kane Williamson, Wriddhiman Saha, Azmatullah Omarzai, Matthew Wade, Umesh Yadav, and Sai Kishore, among others. These releases signal a shift in GT’s strategy, potentially aiming for a fresh lineup in the upcoming auction to build around their retained core.
Well, that’s it for this post, enjoy reading!
Until Next Time!
Thank you.
SlogVlog 