26 days—that’s all left before the IPL franchises finalise their retention list for the 2025 season. Normally, players don’t have a say; they’ve already done what they could have in the last season, and now the ball’s in their respective franchise’s court. However, the India vs Bangladesh T20I series gives players a rare opportunity to showcase their talents before the decision is made.
India’s 15-man squad features players from 6 different franchises. Only two of these players (Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mayank Yadav) are uncapped, but that’s expected to change during the 3-match series. This would mean that they’ll have to show that they are worth at least Rs 11 crore (the minimum price for a retention).
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Three players from SRH are present in the squad: Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar. Let’s first remove one of these. Sundar played just one match for SRH in IPL 2024 and probably won’t make the cut. Abhishek Sharma could very well be retention pick number 2 or 3 (Rs 14 or 11 crore) after his breakthrough season, which saw him make his India debut in July against Zimbabwe. But he can further improve his retention chances by making his bat talk.
If Nitish makes his debut in the India vs Bangladesh T20Is, the price could be too high to retain him. However, he can change that with his performance. Barring Hardik Pandya, he’s the only fast bowling all-rounder in the IPL. A rare breed. This makes him extremely valuable, and SRH might retain him if he’s at his best against Bangladesh.
Kolkata Knight Riders
As the defending champions, KKR might feel six retentions are way too few. Assuming they’ll retain Shreyas Iyer, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, just three picks will be left. The question is, will they pay about Rs 35 crore for Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy and Harshit Rana, all three of whom are one of a kind?
There is no better Indian finisher than Rinku in the IPL. Harshit was probably the best middle-overs bowler in IPL 2024, while Chakaravarthy has 41 wickets in the last two seasons. This will be the one last chance to show KKR they are worth persisting with ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Mumbai Indians
Only Tilak Varma would be a doubt here. Safe to say that Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya are confirmed retention picks for MI. The batter has been great in the last couple of years, but he’s fighting someone like Ishan Kishan. Tilak’s numbers are better, but Kishan can keep wickets. If he can show how good he can be in the middle overs in the India vs Bangladesh T20Is, he could very well be picked ahead of Kishan.
Lucknow Super Giants
Ravi Bishnoi is one of the very few tested players that LSG has. The leg spinner didn’t have the best IPL 2024 season, but LSG lacks a strong Indian core, and he can very well fulfill that role. But he’ll have to show that he’s a wicket-taker and not a run container. As for Mayank Yadav, his speed makes him stand apart. If fit, spending as much as Rs 14 crore shouldn’t be that big an ask. We all saw what he did in just 73 balls last season; we can imagine what he could do if he played 14 matches.
Rajasthan Royals
Sanju Samson will be RR‘s first retention, but would Riyan Parag make it as well? He just came of age last season after spending 5 years underperforming. His batting now looks like a million bucks, and he’s played both ODIs and T20Is for India. You can argue he might have done enough to be one of the six picks, but he can stamp his authority in the 3 matches and leave no stone unturned.
Punjab Kings
Arshdeep Singh was India’s highest wicket-taker in two consecutive T20 World Cups. Therefore, he isn’t expected to go under the hammer in the IPL 2025 mega auction. However, Jitesh Sharma has fallen out of favours. He was going to lead PBKS in Shikhar Dhawan’s absence, but the captaincy was instead handed to Sam Curran. He didn’t do great with the bat either. This could be the right time for Jitesh to capitalise and throw his hat into the PBKS retention race.
India’s squad for Bangladesh T20Is
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar
Kolkata Knight Riders: Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana
Mumbai Indians: Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma
Lucknow Super Giants: Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag
Punjab Kings: Jitesh Sharma, Arshdeep Singh
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