SRH complete five retentions for IPL 2025 with Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy

Only counted hours are left before the final deadline for IPL retentions sets in. As franchises lock in their final decisions for retention picks ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, exciting updates are emerging from respective camps. According to the latest news, Sunrisers Hyderabad, the runners-up of IPL 2024, have identified all five of their retentions for IPL 2025. Opening batter Travis Head and young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy will join the likes of Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, and Heinrich Klaasen in Hyderabad’s retention list.

SRH set to retain Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction

It was earlier reported that Sunrisers Hyderabad selected Heinrich Klaasen as their top retention for a whopping 23 crore INR. Additionally, the franchise retained Pat Cummins for 18 crore and young Indian prodigy Abhishek Sharma for 14 crore. Now, with further updates, Sunrisers Hyderabad is likely to use up 75 crore from their total auction purse of 120 crore ahead of the mega auction. Although unconfirmed, SRH is expected to retain Australian opener Travis Head for 14 crore and Nitish Kumar Reddy for 6 crore.

The Hyderabad-based franchise bought Travis Head in the IPL 2024 mini auction for 6.8 crore. Head subsequently emerged as a top performer for the team, and alongside Abhishek Sharma, wreaked havoc on other teams with explosive batting. Now, the Australian is set to secure a significantly higher amount than his earnings in the previous season. The decision also favors Nitish Kumar Reddy, owing to his debut in the India vs Bangladesh T20I series. As Reddy is now a capped Indian player, SRH will not be able to retain him under the 'uncapped player' criteria. The pace all-rounder earned his India call-up following an impressive outing for SRH in IPL 2024, where he was adjudged the 'Emerging Player of the Season'.

With five retentions in place, SRH will have just one right-to-match (RTM) card available for an uncapped player at the auction. According to IPL retention rules for the upcoming mega auction, franchises can retain up to six players, with five of these allowed to be capped internationals, while teams may retain two uncapped players. However, at least one of the six retentions must be an Indian uncapped player.

Furthermore, each retained player comes with a minimum purse deduction: INR 18 crore for the first retention, INR 14 crore for the second, and INR 11 crore for the third. For the fourth and fifth retentions, the caps are again set at INR 18 crore and INR 14 crore, respectively. Interestingly, while the total retention amount is set at INR 79 crore, franchises have the flexibility to offer higher amounts to their retentions as long as the total deduction from the auction purse remains the same.