3 teams that might struggle the most in IPL 2025 auction due to their retention strategy ft. Rajasthan Royals
The much-awaited list of final retentions for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 were announced by the franchises on Thursday (October 31). The list put many speculations to rest, while some were on the expected lines of fans and the cricket fraternity.
Each team was allowed to retain a maximum of six players, with a limit of five capped and a maximum of two uncapped players. Most of the teams used their full quotas, while some are likely use to Right To Match (RTM) in the auction.
Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans, and Sunrisers Hyderabad made best possible choices by retaining their core players. Certainly, these teams would fill the missing puzzles to put together a formidable squad.
However, there were some franchises who couldn't impress the fraternity with their final retentions. Below are the teams who would have a hard time picking the right players in the auction, set to take place later this month.
#1 Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings (PBKS) chose to retain only two players, Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh. Shashank emerged as the leading batter for the franchise in 2024, slamming 354 runs at a strike rate of 164.65. He returned with a sensational 68* off 28, as PBKS went on secure the highest successful chase of 262 in T20s against the Knight Riders.
Meawhile, Prabhsimran scored 334 runs at a strike rate of 156.80 in the last season. While playing for India A, he made a strong impression of his ball-striking abilities with a knock of 36 off 19 against Pakistan A in T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup last month.
However, with only two retentions, that too with emerging batters, they will have all areas to cover in the auction. They chose to release Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh, who were expected to be their top retentions. Interestingly, Curran was looked upon as a captain as well, after leading the side in 2024.
The Punjab-based franchise needs a balanced bowling attack and experienced batters in the line-up to build a strong outfit. Nevertheless, the remaining purse of INR 110.5 crore will help their cause.
#2 Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals (RR) retained skipper Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, and Sandeep Sharma. In particular, Samson (571) and Parag (573) produced their best-ever IPL season in 2024, taking the team to the playoffs.
Jaiswal scored over 1,300 runs in the last three seasons for RR, while Sharma picked up 23 wickets in the last two editions. Meanwhile, Jurel's fighting knock in the Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad and consistent presence in the national team paved the way for his retention. Hetmyer held a strike rate of 156.48 through the three-year cycle from 2022-24, and helped the team with a final flourish.
Although RR have retained their core batters, they let go both experienced spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. In particular, Chahal picked up 66 wickets and was the team's leading bowler in the last three editions. As a result, they will have to shell out a large portion of their purse to purchase quality tweakers.
Moreover, Jos Buttler, who scored the most runs (1,614) for the team in the last three seasons, also could not be retained by the franchise.
The fast bowling unit needs to be built from scratch as well, with the only option being Sharma. Certainly, RR are thin on the bowling front right now, and could have a tough time in finding players, who could fit the bill perfectly.
#3 Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals (DC) announced a shocking release of their leader, Rishabh Pant ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. This comes after Pant recovered from his near-fatal accident to emerge as the team's leading batter with 446 runs in 2024.
They chose to retain four players, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and Abishek Porel. In IPL 2024, Axar returned with 235 runs and 11 wickets, while Kuldeep picked up 16 scalps. Stubbs impressed by slamming 378 runs at a strike rate of 190.91. Meanwhile, Porel left an impact by scoring 327 runs at a strike rate of 159.51.
Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar, who were joint-highest wicket-takers for DC last season, were not retained by the franchise.
Now without a proper leader, the Capitals need to splurge out big in acquiring experienced batters and also find a couple of good fast bowlers. Interestingly, IPL 2024 winning captain Shreyas Iyer is rumored to be making a comeback to the DC outfit.