Picking the best non-retained Indian playing XII ahead of IPL 2025 Auction ft. KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant
The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises released their list of retained players on October 31 ahead of the 2025 season mega auction. Several shocking and unexpected releases were made by franchises, which has sparked debate and chatter ahead of the highly anticipated auction.
Many top Indian names were let go of by their franchises, including captains of some teams. Historically, teams that have had a strong Indian core and a good set of Indian players have always been successful in the IPL.
That said, several releases made by franchises are arguably debatable, which they might come to regret later on. Some of these players have been highly valuable to their respective franchises and have delivered key performances as well.
Going into the 2025 mega auction, it is certain that many of them will be highly sought after and will lead to bidding wars between franchises, adding to the excitement of the auction and the league overall.
On that note, here we take a look at the best non-retained Indian playing XII before the 2025 mega auction approaches.
Picking the best non-retained Indian playing XII ahead of IPL 2025 Auction
Openers - Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul
Mumbai Indians released Ishan Kishan ahead of the upcoming mega auction. The young left-handed opener has always been an exciting prospect but has often disappointed with inconsistency. While he had a breakthrough 2023 season, scoring 454 runs, he managed only 320 runs last year. It will interesting to see if Mumbai buys Ishan Kishan back.
Partnering him at the top is KL Rahul, keeping the left-right opening combination intact. Rahul scored 520 runs last season for Lucknow but his strike-rate was a matter of massive debate. Despite leading them to the playoffs in two out of three seasons, the franchise decided to part ways with the star batter.
Middle-order and all-rounders - Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, and Krunal Pandya
A reliable middle-order batter, Nitish Rana missed out on the last season, playing just two games and scoring 42 runs. Kolkata Knight Riders have released Nitish, who had an impressive season in 2023, scoring 413 runs at a strike-rate of 140.96. Rana can also deliver some crucial overs of spin if needed.
However, the Knight Riders made another shocking and highly debatable release in the form of Shreyas Iyer. Iyer led them to their third IPL title last year and letting go of a title-winning captain was unexpected. In the two seasons that he played for Kolkata, he put up a decent show with the bat as well, scoring 401 runs in 2022 and 351 runs in 2024.
Similarly, Delhi Capitals also let go of their skipper Rishabh Pant. Pant has had a long association with the franchise and scored over 3000 runs for them. Returning from injury, Pant displayed solid form last season, scoring 446 runs at a strike-rate of 155.40.
The Knight Riders made another release in the form of Venkatesh Iyer. The left-handed batter made a valuable contribution in their title-winning run last year, scoring 370 runs at an impressive strike-rate of 158.80, including four fifties. Although he has not bowled much in the IPL, he still provides an option if needed.
Krunal Pandya is another all-rounder in this team. Krunal was released by Lucknow. Despite having the potential to be a match-winning all-rounder, Krunal failed to deliver as expected, scoring only 133 runs last year while picking up just six wickets with the ball.
Bowlers - Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, and Arshdeep Singh
Shardul Thakur, with the potential of being a valuable all-rounder, underperformed for the Chennai Super Kings in the last two seasons, leading to him being released. Shardul picked up just 12 wickets in the last two seasons and failed to deliver.
Yuzvendra Chahal is among the most shocking and unexpected releases. He has not only been a prolific wicket-taker in the IPL but also delivered for the Rajasthan Royals with 39 wickets in the last two seasons. This move by the Royals is highly debatable and questionable at the same time.
Mohammed Shami is another big Indian name to be released ahead of the 2025 mega auction. Shami has also been among the wickets consistently in the IPL. He picked up 48 wickets in the last two seasons that he played (2022 and 2023). Missing out on the 2024 season due to injury could be the only logical reason behind Gujarat Titans letting go of the ace Indian pacer.
Punjab Kings is also among the franchises to have made some shocking releases, the most surprising one being that of Arshdeep Singh, who led their bowling attack. Arshdeep picked up 36 wickets in the last two editions of the IPL and has shown immense growth on the international stage for India as well.
Impact player - Mohammed Siraj
Another surprising release is that of pacer Mohammed Siraj. Siraj was the lead Indian pacer at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and emerged as a top performer for the franchise. Siraj picked up 19 wickets in IPL 2023 and despite being on and off, managed to bag 15 wickets last year.
With RCB always lacking as far as their bowling is concerned, letting go of Siraj, who brings in experience, could prove to be a move they will regret.