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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Mega Auction is all set to take place in Riyadh in November end, as confirmed by sources. All 10 franchises have revealed their lists of retained players, featuring a mix of unexpected choices and anticipated decisions. With each team holding onto players deemed essential for their success in the upcoming season, the focus is now on the mega auction scheduled for November 24 to 25.
Last week, the retention lists were made public, broadcasting several high-profile names such as Jos Buttler, Aiden Markram, Glenn Maxwell, Faf Du Plessis, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer, who will all enter the auction after being released by their particular franchises.
In total, franchises have retained 46 players, investing a total amount of Rs 558.5 crore. Among those retained, 36 are Indian players, including 10 uncapped rising stars.
The release of IPL-winning captain Shreyas Iyer from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rishabh Pant from Delhi Capitals (DC), and KL Rahul from Lucknow Super Giants means that 3 premier Indian captaincy candidates will be available for teams seeking new leaders.
Surprisingly, no players from England were retained this time around. Key figures like Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Harry Brook, Phil Salt, and Will Jacks have all been let go. These players faced difficulties due to international commitments, and Harry Brook withdrew for personal reasons. Jason Roy also pulled out of the IPL ahead of this season for similar reasons, impacting team dynamics as several teams relied heavily on their international talent.
The 5-time champions, Mumbai Indians (MI), have opted to focus on their Indian core, retaining skipper Hardik Pandya, former captain Rohit Sharma, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, versatile hitter Suryakumar Yadav, and the younger player Tilak Varma. While there was speculation that young wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan would be retained, the decision did not match with their expectations. This retention strategy gives MI a strong Indian base and leaves them with Rs 45 crore to enhance their team during the auction.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have taken a more cautious approach, retaining only 3 players: Virat Kohli, who commands the topmost retention fee at Rs 21 crore, along with Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal. This strategy results in RCB having the 2nd-largest budget of Rs 83 crore.
Punjab Kings have surprised many by choosing not to retain any capped players, instead choosing young talents Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh. This indicates a strategic shift towards developing budding players, leaving them with the largest auction of Rs 110.5 crore.