After the recent closing of the retention window on October 31, 2024, the highly awaited player retention list for TATA IPL 2025 is now out. As a result, all of the ten franchises have locked in their core players with a total of 46 players being retained for a combined expenditure of ₹558.5 crore. As the mega auction is right around the corner, fans are eagerly following the updates to see how their favourite teams will build their squads to enter the upcoming season.
The franchises have been told to choose 25 players each through an upper cap of ₹120 crore. Additionally, no more than six players per team – including five capped international players and two uncapped players of Indian origin – was allowed. Retention will be a mix of seasoned veterans and budding young talent and it’s part of the franchise’ tactical approach.
Both defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and inaugural winners Rajasthan Royals (RR) have retained six players each to make full use of the limit. On the contrary, teams like Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Gujarat Titans (GT), Lucknow SuperGiants (LSG), Mumbai Indians (MI) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have kept five players apiece. Moreover, the Delhi Capitals (DC), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) chose to go for smaller core groups and have retained four, three and two players respectively.
What stands out is that Punjab Kings have the heaviest purse of ₹110.5 crore, which can propel them to acquire a number of good players and help them rebuild the squad ahead of the mega auction.
IPL Retention List 2025
Chennai Super Kings – At the top of the list are veterans like MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja in addition to rising players Ruturaj Gaikwad and Matheesha Pathirana.
Kolkata Knight Riders – Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and the breakout star Rinku Singh will make a strong core for the team.
Rajasthan Royals – The team will have Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shimron Hetmyer as leads, but will try to strike a balance.
Mumbai Indians – The focus was on keeping iconic players like Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah along with dynamic players like Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya.
Royal Challengers Bangalore – Virat Kohli will continue to be the face of the franchise. Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal will accompany him.
Fans are hoping for a mega auction to be a high stakes game. It is hoped that the franchises will do the job of filling in the gaps and then carefully construct a winning team. Thus with this hope, the TATA IPL 2025 is set to serve up another electrifying season with teams battling for a chance to get their hands on the title.
| Team | No of Players | Overseas Players | Uncapped Players | RTM | Money Spent | Salary Cap | Available Slots | Overseas Slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSK | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 65 | 55 | 20 | 7 |
| DC | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 47 | 73 | 21 | 7 |
| GT | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 51 | 69 | 20 | 7 |
| KKR | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 69 | 51 | 19 | 6 |
| LSG | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 51 | 69 | 20 | 7 |
| MI | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 75 | 45 | 20 | 8 |
| PBKS | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9.5 | 110.5 | 23 | 8 |
| RCB | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 37 | 83 | 22 | 8 |
| RR | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 79 | 41 | 19 | 7 |
| SRH | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75 | 45 | 20 | 5 |
| Total | 46 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 558.5 | 641.5 | 204 | 70 |
Also Read: IPL 2025: Top 10 Highest-Paid Players in IPL Auction History
