The IPL 2025 retention window is getting hotter, with the big franchises making big calls ahead of the mega auction. Kolkata Knight Riders have confirmed that the likely big exits will be captain Shreyas Iyer and power-hitter Andre Russell, as they look to affect a strategic refresh of their squad. Meanwhile, KKR intend to retain Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, and uncapped pacer Harshit Rana, keeping the right mix of proven performers and promising talent.
KKR’s strategy for IPL 2025 retention window
The retention, which was announced by KKR on Tuesday, is going to be a shocker because Iyer was the title-winning captain for them in 2024. The franchise had bought him for INR 12.25 crore in 2022. In 2024, he made 351 runs at a formidable strike rate of almost 147. It seems that the franchise is looking at having a more flexible setup in the squad and possibly targeting fresh leadership at the auction.
Andre Russell, the powerhouse all-rounder who has been with KKR since 2014, is also expected to go into the auction pool. Despite consistent returns — 222 runs at a strike rate of 185 and 19 wickets last season — KKR may use a right-to-match card for Russell. Doing so would allow them to keep options open on his return if their auction strategy permits. This ploy says everything about KKR’s attempt at freeing up funds while staying flexible with their key players.
Another big purchase, Mitchell Starc, at INR 24.75 crore last season, could also be let go. His form had been patchy throughout the tournament, but his clutch performances in the playoffs and final helped KKR clinch the title. Still, this hasn’t ruled out his uncertain consistency as a reason for KKR to review their balance and retention, settling for cost-effective one instead of highly valued risks.
Uncapped Indian talent also plays a big role in the retention strategy of KKR. Along with Harshit Rana, KKR are considering retaining Ramandeep Singh as the lower-order power hitter. By adding two uncapped players, KKR will get to use only one RTM card in the auction, with every additional uncapped player deducting only INR 4 crore from their budget, thus giving them flexibility for international star buys.
Sunrisers Hyderabad retain core players
Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad announced its retention plan as well by retaining Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy as capped players. Head’s brilliant 2024 season with 567 runs at a strike rate of 191.55 convinced SRH about his worth despite the increased retention price of INR 14 crore. Reddy, the winner of 2024 Emerging Player of the Year, has also had his price increased from INR 20 lakh to a hefty INR 6 crore.
These calls by SRH complete a core led by Pat Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen, and Abhishek Sharma, whose retention costs have collectively left SRH with INR 45 crore ahead of the auction. The high price tags on Head’s and Klaasen point toward the belief that SRH has in this core, banking on them to lead the team toward consistent playoff contention.
Veteran retention by CSK
Chennai Super Kings will retain iconic figure MS Dhoni as an uncapped player, using the IPL rule applied to players who have not had recent international experience. This uses his status to good effect to allow CSK to free up the maximum cap space to back emerging talent before continuing to back Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, and young pacer Matheesha Pathirana to build around skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad.
These early moves set the stage as the deadline for the retention lists draws near, on October 31, for the much-wanted mega auction in which teams have been juggling experience with fresh talent, along with budget constraints, to get the winning combination for IPL 2025.
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