Klaasen, Kohli, Pooran: Ranking the most expensive retention of every IPL team ahead of the 2025 mega auction

#2 | Virat Kohli | Cost Retained At: ₹ 21 crore | Team: Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Royal Challengers Bengaluru have retained the team icon Virat Kohli and ₹ 21 crore. Although Kohli retired from international T20s after India’s T20 World Cup win earlier this year, RCB believes that the legendary batsman still has enough left in his tank to contribute to RCB. There are media reports that suggest that Kohli could again be made the captain of the team for the 2025 IPL season. (Image: IPL)

#2 | Nicholas Pooran | Cost Retained At: ₹ 21 crore | Team: Lucknow Super Giants | Lucknow Super Giants have made Nicholas Pooran their most expensive retention. The team parted ways with their captain for three seasons KL Rahul and has invested heavily on Pooran. The West Indian is a hard-hitting wicketkeeper batsman who has been playing in the IPL since 2019. He has played 76 IPL games and scored 1769 runs at a strike rate of 162.29 including nine half-centuries. Last season the 29-year-old was the team’s second-highest run-scorer with 499 runs from 14 innings. Pooran hit 35 fours and 36 sixes in that span. (Image: IPL)

#3 | Jasprit Bumrah |Cost Retained at: ₹ 18 crore | Team: Mumbai Indians | Mumbai Indians have retained 5 players and among those 5 players, Jasprit Bumrah is their most expensive retention. The pace ace has been with the team for over a decade. Bumrah has played 133 IPL matches and picked 165 wickets. He is the ninth highest wicket-taker in the history of the league and is again expected to lead Mumbai’s bowling attack in IPL 2025. (Image: IPL)

#3 | Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja |Cost Retained at: ₹ 18 crore each| Team: Chennai Super Kings | Chennai Super Kings have retained their captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and premium all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja at ₹ 18 crore each. Gaikwad took over the captaincy mantle from MS Dhoni ahead of the 2024 IPL season. The 27-year-old made his IPL debut in 2020 and since then played 66 matches and scored 2380 runs at a strike rate of 136.86 inclduing 18 fifties and two centuries. Last season he was the second-highest run-scorer behind Kohli as he scored 583 runs in 14 innings. Meanwhile Ravindra Jadeja has been one of the team’s leading all-rounders for a long time now.With 160 wickets he is the 10th highest wicket-taker in IPL history and the second-highest wicket taker for the team. He has also scored 2959 runs in 240 matches. (Image:IPL)

#3 | Rashid Khan |Cost Retained at: ₹ 18 crore | Team: Gujarat Titans | Although Gujarat Titans have retained their skipper and star batsman Shubman Gill for IPL 2025, but he is not the team’s most expensive retention. The most expensive retention is Rashid Khan at ₹ 18 crore. The Afghan leggie joined the team in their first year in 2021 and has since then remained with them. Rashid is one of the most threatening bowlers in the IPL as he has picked 149 wickets in 121 games. Rashid is also a handy batter lower down the order.  Last season was a relatively quiet season for him as he could pick only 10 wickets in 12 innings. (Image: IPL)

#3 | Sanju Samson |Cost Retained at: ₹ 18 crore | Team: Rajasthan Royals | Rajasthan Royals have retained their inspirational captain Sanju Samson at ₹ 18 crore. Samson made his IPL debut in 2013 and played 167 games and scored 4419 runs at a strike rate of 138.96. Under Samson, Rajasthan Royals played the final of IPL 2022. Last season he scored the second highest number of runs for the team as he scored 531 runs and stood behind Riyan Parag who has also been retained. (Image: IPL)

#4 | Axar Patel |Cost Retained at: ₹ 16.5 crore | Team: Delhi Capitals |Delhi Capitals have released their flamboyant keeper-batter Rishabh Pant who was also the team’s captain. With Pant being moved into auction, the team has retained all-rounder Axar Patel at a premium of₹ 16.5 crore making him the team’s most expensive retention ahead of the mega auction. Axar bowls left arm off spin and bats let handed. He made his IPL debut in 2014 and since then played 150 games and scored 1653 runs and picked 123 wickets. Last season Axar claimed 14 scalps and scored 235 runs. T20 World Cup final is a great example of Axar’s utility. (Image: IPL)

#5 | Rinku Singh |Cost Retained at: ₹ 13 crore | Team: Kolkata Knight Riders | Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders released the likes of captain Shreyas Iyer and Mitchell Starc (the most expensive player in the league’s history) and instead have invested on Rinku Singh, the team’s hard hitting batter. Rinku is known for his batting exploits lower down the order and can change the course of a match in a flash. The swashbucking batter made his IPL debut in 2018 and played 45 games and accumulated 893 runs at a strike rate of 143.34. In IPL 2024 he scored 168 runs in 15 outings. (Image: IPL)

#6 | Shashank Singh |Cost Retained at: ₹5.5 crore| Team: Punjab Kings|Punjab Kings have retained only two players, Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh, ahead of the auction. Of the two players, both uncapped, Shashank Singh is their most expensive retention at ₹5.5 crore. They would go into the auction with highest purse of Rs 110.5 crore and also four RTM (Right To Match) cards.Shashank Singh made his IPL debut in 2022 but got a proper run of marches only last season . He was the team’s highest run-scorer with 354 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 164.65 including two fifties. (Image: IPL)