Shocking names that are likely to enter the IPL auction in 2025

The IPL governing council has announced the retention rules ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. For the upcoming seasons, the board has allowed up to six retentions for each franchise. In an interesting update, the auction purse has been increased to 120 crores, which is 20 crores more than the previous limit. Additionally, the retention slabs have been adjusted to carry higher stakes for the teams. The first three retentions are priced at 18 crores, 14 crores, and 11 crores respectively. Moreover, the fourth and fifth retentions are priced at 18 crores and 14 crores respectively.

RTM and retention rules for IPL 2025 mega auction

The sixth and final retention slot has a twist. The board has not put any restrictions on the number of Indian players that can be retained under the first five available slabs. However, the sixth retention must be an uncapped Indian player, with a price set at 4 crores. The uncapped player rule has been revised for this season, allowing a team to retain any player who has not played for the national team in the past five or more years. In other words, this uncapped player can either be a young talent who has not yet been selected for the Indian national team or a seasoned player who has concluded his international career. The retention fee for the sixth player is set at 4 crores, making it a considerably economical choice for the franchise.

The upcoming IPL auction promises unmatched excitement and drama. With the retention slabs priced higher than in previous seasons, franchises face the challenge of locking in their key picks. Moreover, the board has brought back the RTM (Right to Match) cards for the auction. Each franchise will receive an RTM card, and any team that doesn’t use all of its five retention slots will get an additional RTM card for each empty slot. This means that if an IPL team retains only three players, it will receive two extra RTM cards in addition to the one RTM provided to each of the ten teams.

Top players who can step into the IPL auction

Almost every IPL franchise will face a dilemma before the auction, with multiple deserving candidates for the retention slabs. However, with the slabs priced as high as 18 crores, the teams need to make strategic choices. For a clearer view, if a franchise decides to use all six retention spots, it will spend 79 crores out of the 120 crore purse, leaving only 41 crores for the mega auction. With the auction approaching quickly, let’s take a look at the major players who might enter the bidding war this year.

1. Rohit Sharma

Mumbai Indians staged the biggest drama of the last IPL season. The five-time champions traded Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans and handed the IPL 2022-winning captain the Mumbai captaincy. Amid all the chaos, Rohit Sharma, who led the franchise to all five title victories, was unceremoniously removed from the leadership role. The fan outrage was one aspect of the controversy, but reports suggested that Sharma, along with Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah, distanced themselves from team proceedings. With all the drama that unfolded last season, Rohit Sharma is one of the biggest names expected to join the IPL auction in 2025.

2. Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav, like Rohit Sharma, found himself on the other side of the divide that formed in the MI camp during IPL 2024. With Hardik Pandya likely to continue leading the team, Suryakumar Yadav may not want to be retained. Furthermore, if Yadav enters the auction, it would be difficult for Mumbai to retain him through the RTM card. As the current T20I captain of India, Yadav’s skills in the shortest format could easily place him among the most expensive players in IPL history.

3. KL Rahul

KL Rahul is another major name expected to leave his current franchise. Surprisingly, all the names mentioned here are due to internal conflicts from IPL 2024 rather than tactical reasons. Most franchises look to retain their captains ahead of the mega auction to maintain their core. However, for LSG, retaining KL Rahul could prove tricky after the events of IPL 2024. After LSG suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of SRH, KL Rahul was seen receiving criticism from LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka.

The conversation, captured during the broadcast, did not reflect well on the franchise's dynamics. Consequently, speculation regarding KL Rahul leaving LSG ahead of IPL 2025 has emerged as the most credible. While there is anticipation about Rahul’s potential trade to Royal Challengers Bangalore, it is highly likely that he will enter the IPL auction for the upcoming season.