On October 31, all the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams announced the names of their retained players ahead of the 2025 mega-auction. This retention became a topic of discussion in the cricket world as many players made it to it while some big names were left out of the list.
The most surprising retention was of Chennai Super Kings where they retained MS Dhoni as an uncapped player for just Rs 4 crore. Whereas Lucknow Super Giants released KL Rahul, Delhi Capitals released Rishabh Pant and Kolkata Knight Riders released Shreyas Iyer, which was surprising in itself. Ten teams retained 46 players at a whopping price of Rs 558.5 crore.
Meanwhile, while the franchises retained some good players, there were some players who fans were surprised to see being retained. In this article we will talk about the five worst retentions of IPL 2025. Let us tell you which players are named in this list.
Five worst retentions by franchises ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction (five worst retentions by franchises before the IPL 2025 mega auction)
5. Prabhsimran Singh (Punjab Kings – INR 4 Crore)
One of the most surprising retentions was made by Punjab Kings, they retained wicketkeeper-batsman Prabhsimran Singh for Rs 4 crore ahead of the mega auction. The franchise released many star players including Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran. Prabhasimran’s retention after scoring 756 runs in 32 matches at a strike rate of 146.23 shows Punjab’s faith in the young talent.
Under new head coach Ricky Ponting, PBKS are adopting a new approach, retaining only two uncapped players, Prabhsimran and Shashank Singh (INR 5.5 crore). He has the biggest purse of Rs 110.5 crore and can target many big players in the auction.
4. Yash Dayal (Royal Challengers Bengaluru – INR 5 Crore)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) decided to retain fast bowler Yash Dayal for Rs 5 crore ahead of the 2025 IPL season. The decision made headlines given the release of stalwarts like Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj by the franchise. With many big names in the last edition’s squad, the 2016 finalists’ decision to select Dayal over their top bowler Siraj was criticized from all quarters.
The left-arm fast bowler’s journey so far in this cash-rich league has been full of ups and downs. However, during the 2024 season, especially in a crucial match against Chennai Super Kings, the left-arm pacer led RCB to a win and took the team to the playoffs.
3. Abhishek Porel (Delhi Capitals – 4 Crore)
Delhi Capitals, runners-up of the 2020 edition, showed their faith in uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman Abhishek Porel by releasing several big players ahead of the 2025 IPL mega auction. The decision to go with Porel was even more surprising given the release of Australia’s explosive opening batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk, who had an impressive strike rate of 234.04 in IPL 2024.
By retaining the young Bengal keeper, the franchise is releasing veterans like David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Anrich Nortje. Meanwhile, the left-handed batsman performed consistently last season and scored 360 runs in 18 matches, further convincing the DC management of his potential.
2. Dhruv Jurel (Rajasthan Royals – INR 14 Crore)
Rajasthan Royals took a bold decision by retaining uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel for Rs 14 crore ahead of IPL 2025. The decision was surprising seeing the franchise releasing stalwarts like Jos Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal and Trent Boult.
The franchise has given priority to youth, along with Jurel they have also retained Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag. With captain Sanju Samson (INR 18 crore) and Caribbean powerhouse Shimron Hetmyer (INR 11 crore), they have already spent Rs 79 crore from their purse. There are 19 slots to be filled and Rs 41 crores are left with them.
1. Shimron Hetmyer (Rajasthan Royals – INR 11 Crore)
Despite having international stars like Jos Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal and Trent Boult, Rajasthan Royals made another big choice by retaining West Indies power-hitter Shimron Hetmyer. The Caribbean left-handed batsman, who has scored 1,244 runs in 72 IPL matches at a strike rate of 153.20, has been a key player in Rajasthan’s recent success.
The Royals franchise has shown a lot of confidence in Hetmyer as he has played many match-winning innings for the team in the past. It was because of Hetmyer that RR reached the finals in 2022 and finished third in the 2024 season, where they won eight out of 14 matches before being eliminated by Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2.