The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced significant changes to the retention rules for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), granting franchises the liberty to allocate their ₹75 crore retention budget as they see fit.
Previously, the retention slabs were fixed, but now, teams have the flexibility to distribute this amount among their retained players. As per reports from ESPNCricinfo, franchises can divide the ₹75 crore cap among five capped players in any manner, offering them greater freedom in player retention decisions.
Retention Slabs and Budget Flexibility
Under the previous structure, the retention slabs were set at ₹18 crore for Player No. 1, ₹14 crore for Player No. 2, ₹11 crore for Player No. 3, and so on. Now, while these slabs serve as a guideline, franchises are free to exceed them if necessary, with any excess being deducted from their auction purse.
This shift offers teams flexibility in balancing their budgets while retaining top players. However, regardless of how much a team spends, the total amount for player retention will be capped at ₹75 crore.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Strategic Retentions
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has reportedly decided to use this new flexibility to retain five key players, including Heinrich Klaasen, Pat Cummins, and Abhishek Sharma. SRH will spend ₹23 crore to retain Klaasen, exceeding the ₹18 crore slab for the first player, underlining his importance to the team.
Klaasen has been in exceptional form, scoring nearly 1,000 runs in 35 IPL matches, including 479 runs in IPL 2024. Pat Cummins will be retained for ₹18 crore, while Abhishek Sharma remains with the team for ₹14 crore. Additionally, Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy are expected to be retained, following strong performances in IPL 2024. SRH’s retention strategy exemplifies how franchises can leverage the new rules to build competitive squads for IPL 2025.
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