4 Indian 2024 T20 World Cup winners who weren't retained ahead of the IPL 2025 auction ft. Rishabh Pant
The 10 IPL franchises have announced their retention list for the 2025 edition and we have seen some familiar faces getting retained while a few stalwarts have been released. It must be noted that a player getting retained not only depends on the franchise’s decision. A player can opt to go into the auction even if the franchise had plans of keeping him.
The date of the mega auctions hasn't been confirmed but given the amount of high-profile players to come under the hammer, it promises to be a spectacle. Arguably the greatest T20 tournament in the world, the emergence of IPL in 2008 was a by-product of India winning the 2007 T20 World Cup.
Earlier in the year, India broke their 11-year ICC trophy drought by lifting their second T20 World Cup trophy. While as many as 11 players from the Indian T20 World Cup squad got retained in their respective franchises, four were let go. The quartet won't come cheap and might force the franchises into a fierce bidding war.
Now, let's have a look at four Indian T20 World Cup winners who weren't retained ahead of the 2025 IPL auction:
#4 Yuzvendra Chahal
A wily wrist spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal was part of the Indian T20 World Cup winning squad earlier this year but didn't feature in a single game. Chahal was picked as the second wrist spinner behind Kuldeep Yadav.
The Indian think tank gave Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja extended runs in the tournament which prevented Chahal from being part of the playing XI. However, he is still in the Indian white-ball scheme of things, and being part of the World Cup-winning squad is always a massive achievement.
Chahal was bought by the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the 2022 season. The leggie had a breakthrough season with 27 wickets in 2022 and there was no looking back.
He forged a strong partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin and bagged 21 and 18 wickets in 2023 and 2024, respectively. However, he wasn't retained by the Royals ahead of the auctions.
#3 Mohammed Siraj
A bowler who wears his heart on his sleeve, Mohammed Siraj has been a top-class performer for the Royals Challengers Bengaluru over the years. The pacer can make the new ball talk and has provided early breakthroughs on several occasions.
Siraj was also part of the Indian squad that lifted the T20 World Cup earlier this year. He made way for Kuldeep Yadav in the West Indies leg but played in the group fixtures against Ireland, Pakistan, and USA.
Siraj is expected to fetch a big sum in the auction, given his exposure as an international player and how he has performed at the highest level.
#2 Arshdeep Singh
Left-arm speedster Arshdeep Singh wasn't retained by the Punjab Kings who finished ninth in the points table in IPL 2024. Arshdeep was one of the main pioneers of India’s incredible T20 World Cup win and finished the tournament as the joint-leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps to his name.
Punjab being one of the perennial underachievers in the IPL might have prompted the team management to build a new core besides retaining Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh. Arshdeep was not pleased with the decision and deleted every social media post related to the franchise.
Arshdeep has bagged 46 wickets in the last three seasons and was an integral figure in the Punjab Kings side. Given his skills with the new and the old ball, Arshdeep is also set to fetch a large sum in the auction.
#1 Rishabh Pant
The biggest name missing from the retention list is swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. He was even part of the Delhi Capitals auction table last time but will be featuring for a new franchise in 2025. There is a possibility that Chennai Super Kings might go all out for him.
Following a horrific car accident, Pant returned to professional cricket in IPL 2024 and finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer for Delhi. However, reports have emerged that Pant wasn't happy with some of the franchise's decisions and felt the owners could minimize his power.
Pant reportedly wasn't happy with the appointment of Hemang Badani and Venugopal Rao as the head coach and team director, respectively. Franchises might end up breaking the bank to acquire the southpaw's services. Pant could well end up being the costliest-ever buy in IPL history.