As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season approaches, excitement builds with the announcement of the much-awaited retention lists by all 10 franchises. With the mega auction just around the corner, several big names have been retained, while some surprising stars were released, paving the way for fresh strategies and opportunities. The retention process saw some notable names let go, including KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer, with others like Jos Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Mohammed Siraj also missing from their teams’ lists.

In a historic move, the South African Player Heinrich Klaasen of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has broken RCB Virat Kohli's long-standing record to become the most expensive retained player in IPL history. Klaasen was retained by SRH for a massive ₹23 crore, surpassing Kohli’s previous retention record of ₹17 crore. Kohli, meanwhile, has been retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for ₹21 crore as he prepares for a potential return as captain replacing former captain Faf du Plessis in IPL 2025.

Mumbai Indians made headlines by releasing star wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, while Chennai Super Kings made a strategic move by retaining MS Dhoni as an uncapped player for ₹4 crore. Despite his age and speculation surrounding his future, Dhoni remains an essential part of CSK’s plans.

Similarly, Rajasthan Royals secured Sandeep Sharma for ₹4 crore, while their core unit was retained, including captain Sanju Samson for ₹18 crore and Yashasvi Jaiswal for an identical ₹18 crore. Other teams like Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Delhi Capitals retained a mix of seasoned performers and young talent to build a competitive squad for the upcoming season.

Below is the complete list of retained players along with their price tags:

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (18cr), Yashasvi Jaiswal (18cr), Riyan Parag (14cr), Dhruv Jurel (14cr), Shimron Hetmyer (11cr), Sandeep Sharma (4cr)1

Punjab Kings: Shashank Singh (5.5 cr), Prabhsimran Singh (4cr)

Gujarat Titans: Rashid Khan (18cr), Shubman Gill (16.5cr), Sai Sudharsan (8.5cr), Rahul Tewatia (4cr), Shahrukh Khan (4cr)

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins (18cr), Abhishek Sharma (14cr), Nitish Reddy (6cr), Heinrich Klaasen (23cr), Travis Head (14cr)

Lucknow Super Giants: Nicholas Pooran (21cr), Ravi Bishnoi (11cr), Mayank Yadav (11cr), Mohsin Khan (4cr), Ayush Badoni (4cr)

Kolkata Knight Riders: Rinku Singh (13cr), Varun Chakaravarthy (12cr), Sunil Narine (12cr), Andre Russell (12cr), Harshit Rana (4cr), Ramandeep Singh (4cr)

Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel (16.5 cr), Kuldeep Yadav (13.25 cr), Tristan Stubbs (10 cr), Abhishek Porel (4cr)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (21cr), Rajat Patidar (11cr), Yash Dayal (5cr)

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (18cr), Matheesha Pathirana (13cr), Shivam Dube (12cr), Ravindra Jadeja (18cr), and MS Dhoni (4cr)

Mumbai Indians: Jasprit Bumrah (18cr), Suryakumar Yadav (16.35cr), Hardik Pandya (16.35cr), Rohit Sharma (16.30cr), Tilak Varma (8cr)