IPL 2025 Mega Auction: The highly anticipated IPL 2025 Mega Auction is fast approaching, with the player retention and release lists now officially revealed. In a bid to refresh and strengthen their squads, IPL franchises have made bold moves, retaining some of their core players while releasing other high-profile names. With star players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and Pat Cummins retained, a notable list of seasoned players such as Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Mitchell Starc are entering the auction pool. The upcoming auction promises to be a competitive event as franchises look to build dynamic teams with new and experienced talent alike.
The retention strategies revealed last week showcase different approaches among franchises. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), defending champions, made headlines by releasing Shreyas Iyer, their title-winning captain. However, they chose to retain six crucial players: Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, and Harshit Rana, aiming to maintain a solid core for the upcoming season. Similarly, Rajasthan Royals (RR) used their full retention quota to keep a balanced lineup ahead of the auction.
IPL 2025: Players Released By All Franchises
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Ajay Mandal, Ajinkya Rahane, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway, Maheesh Theekshana, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, Mukesh Choudhary, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Shaik Rasheed, Simarjeet Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Avanish Rao Aravelly
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Shreyas Iyer, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Nitish Rana, Sherfane Rutherford, Phil Salt, KS Bharat, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Suyash Sharma, Allah Ghazanfar, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain, Vaibhav Arora, Mitchell Starc, Chetan Sakariya
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Anrich Nortje, David Warner (retired), Ishant Sharma, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Mukesh Kumar, Pravin Dubey, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, Harry Brook, Ricky Bhui, Kumar Kushagra, Rasikh Dar, Jhye Richardson, Sumit Kumar, Shai Hope, Swastik Chhikara, Jake Fraser-McGurk
Gujarat Titans (GT)
BR Sharath, Abhinav Manohar, Sandeep Warrier, Gurnoor Brar, Darshan Nalkande, David Miller, Jayant Yadav, Joshua Little, Kane Williamson, Matthew Wade, Mohammad Shami, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Sai Kishore, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, Azmatullah Omarzai, Umesh Yadav, Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi
Lucknow SuperGiants (LSG)
KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Quinton de Kock, Ashton Turner, Deepak Hooda, Krishnappa Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Mohd. Arshad Khan, Prerak Mankad, Yudhvir Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, David Willey, Shivam Mavi, Shamar Joseph, Matt Henry
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Dewald Brevis, Ishan Kishan, Harvik Desai, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Mohammad Nabi, Romario Shepherd, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Gerald Coetzee, Anshul Kamboj, Naman Dhir, Shivalik Sharma
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Shikhar Dhawan (retired), Jitesh Sharma, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Harpreet Bhatia, Rilee Rossouw, Chris Woakes, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Tanay Thyagarajan, Atharva Taide
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Faf du Plessis, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik (retired), Suyash S Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Saurav Chauhan, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Cameron Green, Swapnil Singh
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Jos Buttler, Kunal Rathore, Donovan Ferreira, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Tanush Kotian, Abid Mushtaq, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Keshav Maharaj
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Mayank Agarwal, Anmolpreet Singh, Upendra Singh Yadav, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar
Auction Highlights and Anticipated Bids
The IPL 2025 Mega Auction will present franchises with an exciting opportunity to revamp their rosters. Notably, seasoned players with leadership skills, such as Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Faf du Plessis, are expected to attract substantial bids as teams seek captaincy options. Additionally, the absence of any retained England players this year means renowned players like Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, and Sam Curran will also be available in the auction, adding further intensity to the bidding.
With the strategic retention of young Indian talent, franchises are looking to balance experience with youth, focusing on long-term growth. Each team’s retention strategy and remaining budget indicate that the upcoming IPL season will bring a mix of fresh faces and established players.
As teams gear up to bid for marquee names, the IPL 2025 Mega Auction promises to offer fans and franchises alike an exciting roster overhaul, setting the stage for an action-packed season.