3 teams who won't be happy with 8 retentions for IPL mega auction in 2025 ft. Royal Challengers BengaluruÂ
The Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction has always been a polarising topic for all the right reasons. Several teams have voiced their concern about having to part ways with players they have groomed, and about changing their core every three years.
Given such predicaments, the authorities have been engaged with the idea of increasing the number of retentions to eight players. If reports are to be believed, it will be mostly through a combination of pre-auction retentions and the Right to Match (RTM) option, which was not available for franchises in the previous mega auction.
Now with the three-year cycle from 2022 coming to an end, the mega auction will be conducted ahead of IPL 2025. The BCCI has a huge decision to make in terms of finalizing the number of retentions, and if that number is determined to eight, there will be a slew of franchises that will be delighted with the decision. But at the same time, there will be a fraction who will be far from happy with it.
The more the number of retentions, less talent there will be for the underperforming sides to bolster and reshuffle their squad, especially their core.
On that note, let us take a look at three teams who won't be happy with 8 retentions for the IPL mega auction in 2025.
#1 Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings are one of the franchises that had a forgettable phase after the previous mega-auction. Right from their one-season reign under Mayank Agarwal to having Shikhar Dhawan at the helm to constant changes in their coaching staff, PBKS have struggled to shake off mediocrity.
PBKS may be one of the franchises that may not even use their eight retentions, with several aging players in the squad, while some of them take up a huge fraction of the purse money.
The likes of Jitesh Sharma and Arshdeep Singh might lead the retention list for the franchise. Although they will end up having a higher purse amount than the rest of the teams at the mega auction table due to the smaller number of retentions, they will not have a chance to claim some of the top-tier players in the league as other franchises are more than likely to retain their star players.
This leaves PBKS with fewer options at the auction table, and they are likely to end up in the same cycle as every other mega auction in the past.
#2 Gujarat Titans
After Hardik Pandya's departure and some of their key players hitting a certain age, there might not be too many teams more eager than the Gujarat Titans (GT) for a mega auction. It would have been perfect for the 2022 champions had the old rules been in place.
They could have retained their four star players, and spruce up the rest of the departments with the outgoing talent from the remaining franchises. However, with eight retentions probably in place, GT are in a similar predicament as PBKS. They do not have enough quality to use up their eight retentions, and there will not be enough talent in the auction pool to increase their strength.
As a result, GT, who are already dealing with an average squad full of holes, might end up with the same problem even after the mega auction. The only difference will be in the personnel. The only advantage GT have will be in terms of their purse amount, but with increased spots to fill, they will have a tough time at the mega auction.
#3 Royal Challengers Bengaluru
One might say that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were already on the lookout for the 2025 mega auction right after their disastrous outing at the 2024 mini-auction.
RCB are already bearing the brunt of their poor decision-making at the previous auction, with their revamped bowling unit having a nightmare campaign so far.
No with eight retentions available for the franchises, franchises will make it a priority to keep a hold of their star bowlers, as it is the most difficult department to construct.
With a lot of underperforming stars with lopsided price tags constituting the majority of their squad, RCB will hardly consider retaining more than a couple of their proven players.
But once again, with eight retentions in place, the question remains whether there will be enough quality in the auction pool to reconstruct a whole squad, especially a formidable bowling unit.