The most exciting aspect of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the auction, where teams revamp their squads by releasing and buying players according to their preferences and needs. However, franchises also develop a sense of loyalty with certain players whom they never let go of in any season of the tournament. With players set to be released by franchises on October 31 ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, it will be interesting to see which players have never been released by their team.
5 Players who have never released by franchises
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for USD 30,000 in the inaugural IPL season in 2008, and he has remained with the franchise ever since. Remarkably, he is the only player to have played in all 17 IPL seasons for the same team. He is also expected to be retained for IPL 2025, with reports suggesting that he may return as RCB captain in the next edition, as the franchise could release Faf du Plessis.
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MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni was signed by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs 6 crore in the inaugural IPL 2008 mega auction. He is the only player to have represented CSK in 15 IPL seasons without ever being released by the franchise. And why would the team let go of their champion captain, who has led them to five titles? Although he played for Rising Pune Super Giants in 2016 and 2017, this was due to CSK’s suspension from the league during those years. CSK has requested changes in retention rules to keep Dhoni. If retained, he may be designated as an uncapped player in IPL 2025.
Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2012 IPL auction and has been with the franchise ever since. The spin-bowling all-rounder is KKR’s leading wicket-taker in the league and notably the only player in IPL history to have won the Most Valuable Player award three times. He is also very likely to be retained, given his exceptional performance in the 2024 IPL season.
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