IPL 2025 AUCTION
Follow UsThe Indian Premier League (IPL) is the epitome of entertainment. It doesn’t go on for 6-8 months like some of the other popular sporting leagues around the globe, but you never stop talking about it thanks to the auctions that precede one season and follow another. The build-up to these auctions, especially the mega ones, is always fun to follow. Thousands of “reports” have been published on the IPL 2025 mega auction, suggesting a variety of things.
Some franchises want to retain 8-10 players, while some want to keep only 4-5. One franchise wants zero retention, and some want to retain 6-7 overseas players. There’s also a certain franchise that wants to bring back a rule so that they can retain one magical figure. Oh, a couple of teams don’t even want a mega auction this year. It’s been a complete mess, but fun, a whole lot of fun.
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We still don’t have any confirmation on the number of players a team could retain. Almost every team has at least 2-3 players that would be on top of their retention lists. However, there will also be players who won’t be on top of the franchise’s retention list but will make it through as fourth or fifth picks.
These are the players who will probably get more money in the auction than they will after getting retained. Here, we look at players who would be better off not getting retained.
Rajat Patidar (RCB)
Players likely to be retained ahead of him - Virat Kohli, Mohammed Siraj, Cameron Green
The 31-year-old was Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)'s biggest game-changer last season. RCB won six games in a row to qualify for the playoffs, which wouldn’t have been possible without Patidar. It was his game against spin, especially in the middle overs, that made all the difference. He smashed 215 runs against spin at an average of 107.5 and a strike rate of 197.3.
Among 29 batters who scored at least 100 runs against spin in IPL 2024, Patidar’s SR was the third-best. Heinrich Klaasen (23) was the only batter to hit more sixes against spin than Patidar (22). If we are just looking at the middle overs (7-15), Patidar’s SR of 199 and balls/six of 4.8 were the best among all the batters with at least 100 runs in that phase.
RCB have enough batting quality but they don’t have anyone who can take down spin like Patidar. In fact, there are only a couple of Indian players who are this good against spin. Kohli and Siraj will be RCB’s first two retentions, while one of Green or Will Jacks could also be picked ahead of Patidar. That will probably put him under the 6-8 crore bracket, but considering what he brings to the table, Patidar could easily fetch close 10 crore, forcing a few franchises to break the bank.
Venkatesh Iyer (KKR)
Players likely to be retained ahead of him - Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc
Iyer smashed 370 runs in 13 innings at an average of 46.25 and a strike rate of 158.8 but his impact was much bigger than the numbers suggest. The left-handed batter stepped up whenever it mattered. In his last three innings, including two in the playoffs against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 29-year-old registered scores of 42 off 21, 51* off 28 and 52* off 26. He batted in five different positions throughout the competition, showing his versatility.
Just like his numbers in IPL 2024, Iyer’s retention amount might not reflect his actual worth.
Varun Chakravarthy (KKR)
Players likely to be retained ahead of him - Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc
Considering how good Chakravarthy has been in the last two seasons, he could easily fetch something around 8-10 crore in the auction. 41 wickets at an average of 20.3 and an economy rate of 8.1 - no other bowler has taken more wickets than Chakravarthy in IPL since 2023. Even in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), the spinner took 12 wickets in 10 games at an ER of 6.61, showing there aren't too many like him.
Harshit Rana (KKR)
Players likely to be retained ahead of him - Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc, Venkatesh Iyer, Varun Chakravarthy
The Delhi pacer is an all-phase bowler and you don’t get that a lot in India. He is yet to make his debut for India but was part of the T20I squad in Zimbabwe and the ODI squad in Sri Lanka. The 22-year-old could soon become a regular member of India’s white-ball set-up and could prove to be a long-term investment, something every franchise prefers in the IPL.
Tilak Varma (MI)
Players likely to be retained ahead of him - Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma
The young batter is yet to have a bad IPL season. Mumbai have finished last on the points table twice in the last three seasons but that hasn’t affected Tilak’s performance. Not once in his three-year IPL career has the left-hander averaged less than 35. If we are looking at the last two seasons, the middle-order batter has an average of 42.17 and an SR of 155.8.
What makes Tilak extremely good are his numbers in the middle overs. He has an average of 53.86 and a strike rate of 140.41. Mumbai have some of the big names in Indian cricket and that will affect his retention price.
Ishan Kishan (MI)
Players likely to be retained ahead of him - Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma
An Indian wicketkeeper-batter will always be in demand. The left-hander from Jharkhand had back-to-back 400-plus seasons in 2022 and 2023 but had a mediocre IPL 2024. Kishan got 320 runs in 14 innings at an average of 22.86 and a strike rate of 148.8.
A lot has happened in his cricketing life in the last nine months. Although he lost the BCCI contract, Kishan will still be very much in demand if he enters the auction. And there’s no chance MI will retain him ahead of the four aforementioned names.
Riyan Parag (RR)
Players likely to be retained ahead of him - Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin
Since then, the 22-year-old has gone on to make his T20I and ODI debut for India. There’s always a demand for a quality Indian middle-order batter in the auction and Parag offers something extra that not too many domestic batters do. He is more than a handy spinner. Parag bowled only three overs in IPL 2024 but has already delivered more than 10 overs in six T20Is, picking up three wickets at an economy of 6.48.
The skills Parag possesses would get him a lot more money in the auction than what he would receive if he gets retained.
Sandeep Sharma (RR)
Players likely to be retained ahead of him - Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin
Sandeep is in the same boat as Parag. There are at least 4-5 players who RR will keep hold of before Sandeep. The 31-year-old has been one of the most consistent Indian seamers in the last two seasons but doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. Across the last two editions, the Punjab-born has an economy of less than 8 in the first two phases, but what he has done in the death overs makes him a standout bowler.
The right-arm seamer has picked up 16 wickets in 29 overs at an economy of 9.7 - fifth-best among 19 bowlers with at least 25 overs in the death since 2023. Time and time again, Sandeep has shown that he can deliver under pressure and that would attract a lot of buyers in the auction.
Shivam Dube (CSK)
Players likely to be retained ahead of him - Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Matheesha Pathirana
You can also put MS Dhoni’s name on that list if - and that’s a big if - the 43-year-old makes himself available for one more season. Dube has been a key man for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the last two seasons, hitting 814 runs at an average of 37 and a strike rate of 160.2. The left-hander is currently one of the best spin hitters in India. In IPL since 2023, Dube has the third-best strike rate (164.9) against spin in the middle overs among batters with at least 200 runs in that phase.
One of the best six hitters in Indian conditions, Dube would be in some serious demand if CSK fail to retain him. And if they do retain him, he might not be in the first three picks.
Rahul Tewatia (GT - Uncapped)
It’s surprising how the 31-year-old hasn’t played for India yet. The left-handed batter, who plays as a finisher and is also a decent leg spinner, has been brilliant for Gujarat Titans (GT) since their entry to the IPL in 2022. Tewatia has scored 492 runs for them in 31 innings at an average of 27.33 and a strike rate of 147.75. 409 of those runs have come in the death overs, at a strike rate of 179.39.
Tewatia has single-handedly won many games for the Titans, including those that they shouldn’t have won. The Haryana all-rounder is the type of clutch player you need while chasing. Tewatia is a proper match-winner and Gujarat will do everything in their control to retain him. According to the last retention policy, an uncapped player could be retained for just INR 4 crore and that’s hardly anything for someone who plays one of the most difficult roles in the 20-over format.
Nitish Reddy (SRH - Uncapped)
The recipient of the IPL 2024 Emerging Player award, Nitish Reddy, could have probably made his India debut in the series against Zimbabwe if not for an injury. The fast-bowling all-rounder from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) belongs to a rare breed where you wouldn’t find any other Indian except Hardik Pandya, at least in the IPL.
In IPL 2024, the 21-year-old scored 303 runs in 11 innings at an average of 33.67 and a strike rate of 142.9. He also picked up three wickets in 13.1 overs. Reddy is only going to get better and almost every franchise will try to get hold of him if he ends up entering the auction. SRH have quite a few big names in their set-up, so it will be interesting to see how they manage to keep hold of Reddy.
Mayank Yadav (LSG - Uncapped)
Indian cricket has always been fascinated by two types of players: fast-bowling all-rounders and pacers who can clock 150 KPH. Reddy belongs to the first category, while Mayank Yadav belongs to the second. The 22-year-old played only four games for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2024 before getting injured. But that was enough for him to force everyone to sit up and take notice.
Mayank bowled with sheer pace and claimed seven wickets at an average of 12.14 and a strike rate of 6.99. He hasn’t played any competitive cricket since, but there is no doubt he will fetch more than 5-6 crore if he ends up in the auction, which is very unlikely to happen in the first place.
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