IPL 2025: All 10 Teams Best Retained Squad Players List

A total of 35 players in focus as we look at the confirmed best retained squad and players list for all 10 teams for IPL 2025. 

In only a month’s time, the Indian Premier League will complete its 17th year, and kick-start its eighteenth year. It feels only yesterday when the Indian Premier League was started in 2008. The tournament that was initially started with only 8 teams, but now has 10 teams with two new teams being added to the existing seven along with Sunrisers Hyderabad, which was born as a successor to Deccan Chargers.

The IPL 2025 is still a year away, but the planning and preparations for this marquee tournament are already underway. Unlike the last two years, where we saw a Mini Auction take place with teams being given the freedom to choose any number of players, the 2025 IPL won’t be the same, and teams will have restrictions as they plan to choose the players that would like to retain. 

IPL 2025 Auction Policy

The 2025 Auction will form a Mega Auction, and the IPL Chairman, Arun Dhumal has already confirmed that. While nothing is official as yet in terms of the number of players that each team can retain, going by the previous cues, teams will be able to retain a maximum of four players. The composition in general is 3 Indians+1 foreigner, 2 Indians + 2 foreigners, or anything less than this permutation.

Needless to say, this is going to be a challenge for all teams to find their suitable four players as each team has solid 7-8 players who if not for restrictions, would get retained without any doubt. But the possibility of seeing teams retain 4 or more than four players looks feeble. Having four retentions gives the weaker teams to strengthen their squad; thus promoting competitiveness.

In addition, it also gives players a chance to negotiate the amount they would like to get from the teams. Overall, the Auction rules have worked for BCCI, and made IPL more competitive. Nevertheless, what strategy will all teams adopt when it comes to their player retention? Well, let’s look at the best predicted retained squad and players list for all 10 teams for IPL 2025. 

IPL 2025 Best Retained Squad Players List for Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

1. Ruturaj Gaikwad (c)
2. Ravindra Jadeja
3. Shivam Dube
4. Matheesha Pathirana (o)

The biggest question for CSK when it comes to their player retentions is whether MS Dhoni plays the next edition. Well, if MS Dhoni plays, he will definitely get retained without any doubt. But seeing the cues for 2024, MS Dhoni seems to have already made up his mind that this will be his last season. With MS Dhoni not there, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja will be the sure-shot retentions.

Other than Jadeja and Ruturaj, CSK may look at another match-winner Shivam Dube, who has been doing excellent work for them for the last 2-3 years. With three Indian players already retained, CSK cannot retain another Indian player. Among Overseas options, CSK have Devon Conway, Matheesha Pathirana, and Rachin Ravindra. Of the three, CSK may look to retain Matheesha Pathirana with the future in mind.  

IPL 2025 Best Retained Squad Players List for Delhi Capitals (DC)

1. Rishabh Pant
2. Axar Patel
3. Mitchell Marsh (o)
4. Kuldeep Yadav

For Delhi Capitals, Rishabh Pant shall be the first name on paper when it comes to player retentions. With Pant in, the multi-skill of Axar Patel will be the second name for Delhi Capitals. Other than these two, Kuldeep Yadav is in the tremendous form off late, so should be preferred above anyone else. Finally, DC may have to choose between Stubbd, Warner, and Marsh. With Warner already at the flag end of his career, and Stubbs still young, Marsh seems a better bet for his all-round abilities. 

IPL 2025 Best Retained Squad Players List for Gujarat Titans (GT)

1. Sai Sudharshan
2. Shubman Gill
3. Mohammed Shami
4. Rashid Khan (o)

Moving on to Gujarat Titans, three players will get retained without an iota of doubt, and those are Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, and Mohammed Shami. All three are proven performers in the IPL, and they deserve to be retained. With three names already set, there is a space for only one player, and Sai Sudharsan seems the best bet to get retained.

IPL 2025 Best Retained Squad Players List for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

1. Rinku Singh
2. Shreyas Iyer
3. Andre Russell (o)
4. Sunil Narine (o)

Talking about the KKR squad, Captain Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Andre Russell are straightforward retentions for IPL 2025. All three have been doing a great job for the KKR team, and unless anyone voluntarily decides to not retain himself, we should see these three names getting retained. But the main question shall be who will be the fourth player?

Well, KKR have the likes of Nitish Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, and Sunil Narine for the fourth player spot. It will be very interesting who they go after, but given their love for Sunil Narine, and him still being a force, we should mostly see Sunil Narine as the fourth name on the list for KKR player retentions for IPL 2025.  

IPL 2025 Best Retained Squad Players List for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

1. KL Rahul
2. Nicholas Pooran (o)
3. Quinton de Kock (o)
4. Mayank Yadav

For LSG, three players retain for themselves without any doubt, and those are KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, and Nicholas Pooran. All three are proven match-winners and performers in the IPL, so should get retained without any doubt. For the fourth name, LSG have the likes of Devdut Padikkal, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, and Mayank Yadav. But so far what we have seen from Mayank Yadav, LSG may not let him go, and should be preferred above anyone else for IPL 2025. 

IPL 2025 Best Retained Squad Players List for Mumbai Indians (MI)

1. Suryakumar Yadav
2. Tim David (o)
3. Hardik Pandya
4. Jasprit Bumrah

The biggest question for Mumbai Indians shall be whether they retain Rohit Sharma, or if Rohit Sharma actually decides to get retained. Given the current scenario, it looks unlikely MI may retain Rohit Sharma because they already have three strong Indians, Hardik Pandya, Suayakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah as the best names on the table. With three Indian players already in, for the one overseas spot, Tim David seems the best bet. 

IPL 2025 Best Retained Squad Players List for Punjab Kings (PBKS)

None

It may come as a surprise, but Punjab Kings may not retain any player for IPL 2025. The team does have good players like Jitesh Sharma, Prabsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Jonny Bairstow, etc., but honestly, none are at the level to get more than 10 cr as the first-choice retained players. If at all, the guys are to be retained, PBKS will have to give them 6-8 Cr, but their purse deduction will be quite high. Hence, PBKS can’t afford to retain any. 

IPL 2025 Best Retained Squad Players List for Rajasthan Royals (RR)

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal
2. Jos Buttler (o)
3. Sanju Samson
4. Riyan Parag

Talking about Rajasthan Royals, their three retentions are pretty straightforward in the form of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. But their main confusion will be the fourth player, and they have three solid options to choose from. They will have to choose one between Riyan Parag, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Trent Boult. All three are solid players, but if RR had to choose one, it would be Riyan Parag with the future in mind. 

IPL 2025 Best Retained Squad Players List for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

1. Virat Kohli
2. Cameron Green (o)
3. Glenn Maxwell (o)
4. Mohammed Siraj

The RCB team will have a tough time when it comes to the players that they would retain. Two names that will definitely see retention are Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell. Both have been pretty good for RCB in the last 2-3 years, and they should be retained without a doubt. Mohammed Siraj is another player whom RCB may not release. Other than these three RCB may release Faf du Plessis due to age, and instead retain Cameron Green for his dual capability. 

IPL 2025 Best Retained Squad Players List for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

1. Heinrich Klaasen (o)
2. Abhishek Sharma
3. Pat Cummins (o)

Finally, talking about SRH, the team should retain three players for IPL 2025. For SRH, Heinrich Klaasen and Abhishek Sharma should be the first two names that the team may retain. Both have been stupendous for SRH, and retaining them makes complete sense. Other than these two, Pat Cummins could be the player that SRH may look to retain. Cummins’s Captaincy may be a big plus point for him to get retained. 

So, that’s about the confirmed best retained squad and players list for all 10 teams for IPL 2025. 

Thanks for reading! What’s your take on the retained squad and players list for all 10 teams for IPL 2025? Please share your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com

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