5 players who have been retained at a higher price than Rohit Sharma for IPL 2025 ft. Virat Kohli
All eyes were on the Mumbai Indians (MI) as the retention lists for all 10 IPL teams were released on October 31. Along expected lines, the five-time IPL champions retained former captain Rohit Sharma as one of their five retentions - all capped players, with the other four being Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma.
Yet, more than the 'who', it was about the 'how much' for the retained MI stars, especially Rohit. The 37-year-old was retained by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2025 auction for only the fourth-highest price of ₹16.30 crores, slightly lower than Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav at ₹16.35 crores and Jasprit Bumrah at ₹18 crores.
While Rohit has led MI to all five IPL titles and remains the third-leading run-scorer in league history, he endured a mediocre 2024 season with an average of only 32.07 in 14 outings.
Beyond the MI players, a few others from the other franchises were also retained at a higher price than Rohit, and here are five such prominent names.
#1 Heinrich Klaasen - ₹23 crores
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen was the most expensive player on the retention list ahead of the 2025 IPL auction at a whooping ₹23 crores. Renowned as arguably the best T20 batter in world cricket, Klaasen has enjoyed resounding success with SRH over the past two IPL seasons.
The 33-year-old scored 479 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 171.07 and an average of almost 40 in 16 matches. Klaasen's heroics helped SRH finish runner-up in IPL 2024.
In addition to his breathtaking batting, the South African donned the wicket-keeping gloves for SRH, adding to his value to the side.
#2 Virat Kohli - ₹21 crores
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) went all out to ensure star batter Virat Kohli remained with them for the upcoming IPL season, pricing him at ₹21 crores on retention.
Apart from being the all-time highest run-scorer in IPL history, Kohli also led all batters in the 2024 season with 741 runs at an average of almost 62 and a strike rate of 154.69 in 15 outings.
His blistering batting at the top of the order helped RCB qualify for the playoffs with a stunning turnaround in the second half of their campaign.
While there have been rumors around Kohli returning as skipper, RCB will hope their talisman can help them break the title jinx in IPL 2025.
#3 Nicholas Pooran - ₹21 crores
It was a no-brainer that the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) retained the world's best T20 match-winner Nicholas Pooran for a mammoth ₹21 crores.
The West Indian batter set the IPL on fire last season with 499 runs at an average of 62.37 and a strike rate of 178.21 in 14 games. Pooran's ability to win matches out of nowhere and turn the course of games in no time makes him as valuable a commodity as any cricketer in T20s.
After missing the playoffs for the first time in their three-year IPL history last season, LSG will hope that Pooran can continue his stellar T20 form and take them a step closer to glory in 2025.
#4 Rashid Khan - ₹18 crores
It is not often that a bowler or bowling all-rounder is the highest-priced retention in an IPL franchise. Yet, such is Afghanistan star Rashid Khan's prowess that the Gujarat Titans (GT) retained him for ₹18 crores ahead of the Mega auction.
The 26-year-old did not enjoy his most productive season this year, picking up only 10 wickets at an average of 37 and an economy of 8.40. However, Rashid had just returned from injury and made some valuable contributions even in a relatively down season.
It is also worth remembering the champion spin-bowling all-rounder was the star behind GT's title run and runners-up finish in the 2022 and 2023 IPL seasons.
#5 Ruturaj Gaikwad - ₹18 crores
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was their joint-highest retention (with Ravindra Jadeja) at ₹18 crores.
The right-handed opening batter has been a model of consistency for the franchise over the past half a decade, scoring runs at will at the top of the order. Gaikwad finished as the second leading run-scorer in IPL 2024 with 583 runs at an average of 53 and a strike rate of 141.16 in 14 outings.
After playing a pivotal role in CSK's title runs in 2021 and 2023, Gaikwad took to captaincy with much ease despite the odd struggles. Missing the playoffs as they did last season isn't commonplace for the franchise and the 27-year-old will be motivated to put his best foot forward to lead CSK back to ultimate glory in IPL 2025.