IPL 2025 Retentions: Why was Kolkata Knight Riders deducted Rs. 69 crore despite spending just Rs. 57 crore

Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ramandeep Singh (uncapped) and Harshit Rana (uncapped) are the players retained by the Kolkata side.

Andre Russell and Sunil Narine during the 2024 season. | Photo Credit: DEEPAK KR/The Hindu

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise has retained six players going into the IPL auction scheduled for later this year. The retained players include Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, and uncapped players Ramandeep Singh and Harshit Rana. Among these, Rinku Singh was the top retention for KKR, with the defending champion investing Rs. 13 crore in the left-handed batter.

KKR allocated Rs. 12 crore each to Narine, Russell, and Chakaravarthy, while Harshit and Ramandeep were retained for Rs. 4 crore each. In total, KKR spent Rs. 57 crore on player retention. However, due to retention rules, KKR’s purse was deducted by Rs. 69 crore from the original Rs. 120 crore.

As per the retention rules, if a team retains four capped players and two uncapped players, the deductions are fixed at Rs. 18 crore for the first and fourth capped players, Rs. 14 crore for the second capped player, Rs. 11 crore for the third capped player, and Rs. 4 crore each for the two uncapped players, totaling Rs. 69 crore. The rule mandates that the higher amount between actual spending and the deduction formula is subtracted from a team’s purse.

Consequently, KKR will enter the auction with Rs. 51 crore remaining in their budget despite having actually spent only Rs. 57 crore on retentions.