Top 6 most expensive Indian player retentions for IPL 2025 ft. Virat Kohli
The excitement for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season is building up with the franchises announcing their retentions ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Teams have gone in with different strategies regarding their retentions. Some franchises retained their core set of players, with others looking to build new-look squads at the mega auction.
As the name of the league suggests, Indian players have always been key to their teams' success over the years. Having a strong Indian core and top Indian players is an important aspect for any team to do well in the IPL.
While foreign players are always sought after and attract huge bids, franchises have also gone after top Indian players, splurging large amounts in order to bring them into their squads.
Similarly, top Indian players were retained by their respective franchises for huge amounts ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, with most names being obvious and expected choices.
On that note, here is a look at the top six Indian players who were the most expensive retentions for the 2025 season.
Top 6 most expensive Indian player retentions for IPL 2025
#6 Yashasvi Jaiswal
Rajasthan Royals (RR) retained their opener and dynamic Indian batter Yashasvi Jaiswal for a whopping INR 18 crore ahead of the 2025 mega auction. Jaiswal has been a consistent run-getter and proved his worth in the 2024 season as well, scoring 435 runs at a strike rate of 155.91, including a century.
Jaiswal has shown his class as an opener at the international level as well. He has established himself as a fearless opening batter who plays attacking cricket and does not shy away from taking the bowlers on.
Given his performances and potential, Jaiswal was an obvious retention for the Rajasthan Royals.
#5 Ruturaj Gaikwad
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) retained their captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for INR 18 crore. Much like Jaiswal, Gaikwad has proven himself at the top of the order, with the ability to anchor the innings upfront and shift gears when required.
Gaikwad had a successful 2024 season with the bat despite CSK failing to make it to the playoffs. The right-handed opener scored 583 runs in 14 games at an average of 53.00 and a strike rate of 141.16, including a century.
Ruturaj is an upcoming talent and with him being retained for the next three-year cycle, he could prove to become an influential figure in CSK's lineup.
#4 Ravindra Jadeja
Gaikwad's CSK team-mate and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has also been retained by the franchise for INR 18 crore. While there were speculations of Chennai not retaining Jadeja, the franchise chose to retain their star and experienced Indian all-rounder ahead of the mega auction.
While Jadeja was not particularly impressive last season with just 257 runs and eight wickets, he has been a key performer for CSK over several seasons. Given his ability to contribute in all three aspects of the game, Jadeja being retained at a hefty amount is certainly justified.
#3 Sanju Samson
Another obvious retention for the Rajasthan Royals was that of their captain Sanju Samson. Samson has proven his leadership abilities, leading them to the final in 2022. The Royals qualified for the playoffs last season as well.
Apart from his captaincy, he has also been among the prolific run-scorers, putting up consistent performances year after year in the IPL. In the 2024 season, Samson led from the front with the bat as well, amassing 531 runs in 15 games at an average of 48.27 and a strike rate of 153.47.
Rajasthan have rightfully stuck to their captain by retaining him for INR 18 crore ahead of the mega auction.
#2 Jasprit Bumrah
Mumbai Indians are among the franchises that have done a brilliant job with the retentions, keeping a hold of their star players and maintaining a strong core. Among them is premium pacer Jasprit Bumrah, retained at INR 18 crore.
Bumrah has proven to be a revelation and has led the pace attack for Mumbai Indians over the years. Last season, he picked up 20 wickets with a remarkable economy rate of 6.48.
While Mumbai failed to qualify for the playoffs, Bumrah put up an exceptional performance. Given his ability to bowl at any phase of the game and still remain equally lethal, retaining Bumrah was a dead no-brainer.
#1 Virat Kohli
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli became the most expensive Indian player to be retained this season. RCB retained their star batter for a massive sum of INR 21 crore.
Virat Kohli has been the face of the franchise, being the only player to have featured for a single team since the inaugural edition of the IPL. He is not only the highest run-getter for RCB but also the highest run-getter in the history of the league itself.
Virat displayed solid form in IPL 2024, where he amassed 741 runs at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.70. He also stacked up five half-centuries and a century.