IPL 2025 Retention Live Updates: Pant, KL Rahul, Shreyas to enter mega auction; Kohli, Dhoni, Rohit among retained players; Deadline at 5

A cryptic social media post by Royal Challenger Bengaluru has its retained players list. How many can you find?

IPL 2025 Retention will be telecast live on Star Sports and Sports18 channels starting at 4 PM IST. It can also be live streamed on the JioCinema app and website, starting 4:30 PM IST 

The most expensive signing in IPL history might not stay with KKR for the next season according to reports. Will we see the Aussie in the mega auction again?

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IPL player retention updates: KL Rahul to Rishabh Pant — Five big names who could be released ahead of 2025 mega auction

IPL 2025 mega auction: With limited retentions at their disposal, franchises might be forced to let go of various big names ahead of the big event in November.

While it seems logical for Delhi Capitals to retain Rishabh Pant who has been with the team since the start of his IPL career, reports have emerged linking the wicketkeeper-batter to other franchises.

Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings are the prime candidates to sign the Delhi batter, with M.S. Dhoni nearing the final stretch of his career. Pant would be the ideal replacement for the legendary captain.

Additionally, teams like LSG and KKR may also be willing to invest heavily in search of an Indian captain, leaving the door open for Pant’s potential entry.

Shreyas Iyer scored 351 runs in 14 innings and led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to an IPL title during the 2024 season. However, he might still end up playing for a new team in the next season.

His middling run with the bat recently might weigh on the team’s decision.

Additionally, KKR has several foreign options — Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Mitchell Starc — who might be higher in the pecking order than Shreyas. Among the Indian players, KKR may prioritise securing spots for younger talents like Rinku Singh and Harshit Rana.

KL Rahul, who led the side for the last three seasons, is likely to be released ahead of the big auction next month. 

The wicketkeeper-batter was signed by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for Rs 18 crore at the mega auction in 2022. He captained the side for three seasons, leading it to the Playoffs on two occasions.

However, multiple news reports suggest that the franchise will not be retaining Rahul, instead preferring younger players like Mayank Yadav, Ayush Badoni, and Ravi Bishnoi.

Rahul played 38 games for the team, scoring 1,410 runs, including two centuries. While he started his LSG career on a high, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer in 2022, his second season was cut short due to an injury.

The 32-year-old came under scrutiny for his strike rate and inability to accelerate during the 2024 season. With LSG failing to qualify for the Playoffs, many expect the franchise to part ways with him.

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Who is the most expensive retained player before IPL 2025 Retentions

In 2017 Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained Virat Kohli for Rs. 17 crore, making him the most expensive player retention in IPL history.

The deadline for the IPL teams to name their set of retained players is 5pm on October 31. No team has released their official retained players’ list so far.

An Indian player will be considered uncapped if they have not participated in any international match or held a BCCI central contract within the last five years. 

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EXPLAINED: IPL’s ‘Uncapped Player’ rule that could allow CSK to retain Dhoni for Rs 4 Crore

Dhoni last played for India at the 2019 ODI World Cup, and announced his retirement in August 2020; he does not play any cricket apart from the IPL.

In past mega auctions, once a player was declared sold, the auctioneer would ask the previous franchise if it wished to buy him back. If it decided to do so, it would secure the player for the final bid amount made in the auction.

In the upcoming auction, if the previous franchise wants to use the RTM card, the franchise that made the final bid will have an additional opportunity to raise its bid.

Yes, a team can use as many as six RTMs if it decides to not retain any player ahead of the mega auction in November.

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What is the RTM rule in IPL 2025? - Right-to-match card explained ahead of IPL player retention deadline

IPL player retention 2025: Everything you need to know about the RTM rule and its changes ahead of the October 31 retention deadline.

Capped player 1: Rs 18 crore

Capped player 2: Rs 14 crore

Capped player 3: Rs 11 crore

Capped player 4: Rs 18 crore

Capped player 5: Rs 14 crore

Uncapped player: Rs 4 crore

A team has Rs. 120 crore for the auction and the player retentions.

A franchise is allowed to retain up to six players, either during the retention phase or by using the Right-To-Match (RTM) card in the mega auction. Franchises have the flexibility to use a combination of outright retentions and RTM cards to retain up to six players from their 2024 squad.

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IPL 2025 Retentions FAQs - All you need to know ahead of player retention deadline on October 31

The IPL Governing Council has set October 31 as the deadline for franchises to submit their retained player lists. Stay informed with all you need to know about IPL 2025 retentions.

A very happy Diwali to all our readers! Lots of reports and speculation ahead of the deadline for player retentions, and all those will be put to rest today as the teams start announcing the player names. Sportstar will keep you posted through it all.