As the 10 IPL franchises prepare for the mega auction on November 24 and 25 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, three Indian cricket superstars—Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant—are set to enter the auction pool. These players bring leadership qualities and exceptional skills, making them highly sought after.

Major Retentions and Releases:

  • Rishabh Pant has ended his nine-year association with the Delhi Capitals (DC).
  • Shreyas Iyer, the title-winning captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), has been released. KKR was unable to convince Iyer to stay, despite interest from teams like DC, Punjab Kings, RCB, and LSG.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):

  • Retained Players:
    • Andre Russell (All-rounder) – ₹12 crore
    • Sunil Narine (All-rounder) – ₹12 crore
    • Rinku Singh – ₹13 crore
    • Varun Chakravarthy – ₹12 crore
    • Ramandeep Singh (Uncapped) – ₹4 crore
    • Harshit Rana (Pacer, Uncapped) – ₹4 crore

Mumbai Indians (MI):

  • Hardik Pandya will continue as captain for IPL 2025, despite the team finishing last in 2024.
  • Retained Core Players:
    • Jasprit Bumrah – ₹18 crore
    • Suryakumar Yadav – ₹16.35 crore
    • Hardik Pandya – ₹16.35 crore
    • Rohit Sharma – ₹16.30 crore

Delhi Capitals (DC):

  • Retained Players:
    • Axar Patel – ₹16.50 crore
    • Kuldeep Yadav – ₹13.25 crore
    • Tristan Stubbs (South African Batter) – ₹10 crore
    • Abishek Porel (Uncapped) – ₹4 crore
  • Captaincy Option: If they don’t secure Shreyas Iyer in the auction, Axar Patel may lead the team.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG):

  • LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka hinted at a shift in team philosophy, emphasizing players who prioritize team success over personal goals.
  • Top Retention:
    • Nicholas Pooran – ₹21 crore

Chennai Super Kings (CSK):

  • Retained Players:
    • MS Dhoni – ₹4 crore (confirmed he wants to play another season)
    • Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain) – ₹18 crore
    • Ravindra Jadeja – ₹18 crore
    • Shivam Dube – ₹12 crore
    • Matheesha Pathirana (Sri Lanka) – ₹13 crore

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH):

  • Heinrich Klaasen retained for a whopping ₹23 crore, making him the most expensive retention.
  • Other Retentions:
    • Pat Cummins (Captain) – ₹18 crore
    • Abhishek Sharma – ₹14 crore
    • Travis Head – ₹14 crore
    • Nitish Reddy – ₹6 crore

Rajasthan Royals (RR):

  • Decided not to retain England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler.
  • Retained Players:
    • Sanju Samson – ₹18 crore
    • Yashasvi Jaiswal – ₹18 crore
    • Riyan Parag – ₹14 crore
    • Dhruv Jurel – ₹14 crore
    • Shimron Hetmyer – ₹11 crore
    • Sandeep Sharma – ₹4 crore
  • Released Players: Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin

Gujarat Titans:

  • Shubman Gill took a pay cut, accepting ₹16.5 crore.
  • Rashid Khan became the top retention at ₹18 crore.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB):

  • Released former captain Faf du Plessis and pacer Mohammed Siraj.
  • Retained Player:
    • Virat Kohli – ₹21 crore

Punjab Kings (PBKS):

  • Entering the auction with a large purse of ₹110.5 crore.
  • Decided not to retain Arshdeep Singh due to cost.
  • Retained Uncapped Players:
    • Shashank Singh – ₹5.5 crore
    • Prabhsimran Singh – ₹4 crore

With these significant player movements and retentions, the upcoming IPL 2025 Mega Auction promises to be exciting. Teams are looking to rebuild and strengthen their squads, and the availability of star players like Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant adds to the anticipation.

Keywords: IPL 2025, Mega Auction, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Player Retentions, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings.