SRH could retain Klaasen, Cummins and Abhishek ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction; Pant likely to remain at DC: Reports

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will reportedly retain the trio of Heinrich Klaasen, captain Pat Cummins and opener Abhishek Sharma ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction later this year. According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, Klaasen could be retained for Rs 23 crore, Cummins for Rs 18 crore and Abhishek for Rs 14 crore.

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Travis Head, Nitish Kumar Reddy could also be retained

Cummins was acquired by SRH for Rs 20.50 crore at the IPL 2024 player auction and was named the franchise’s captain ahead of the 2024 season. He led SRH to the final of IPL 2024, where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Cummins had become the second-most expensive player in IPL history, but it turns out that the Australian could be retained for a lesser amount.

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Abhishek Sharma enjoyed a productive IPL 2024 season, scoring 484 runs from 16 matches that included three half-centuries. He forged big partnerships with Travis Head on multiple occasions. Klaasen scored 479 runs from 16 matches (Four fifties) in IPL 2024, making it the second consecutive season he has scored more than 400 runs in an edition.

Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy are also likely to be retained. Nitish had recently made his India debut during the T20I series against Bangladesh, thus making him a “capped” player at the IPL 2025 auction, should he go under the hammer.

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DC to retain only three players?

Delhi Capitals (DC) could reportedly retain just three players ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. According to a PTI report, skipper Rishabh Pant could be retained for Rs 18 crore, whereas Axar Patel could be retained for Rs 14 crore. Kuldeep Yadav is likely to be the team’s third retention for Rs 11 crore.

Pant made a successful return to competitive cricket since his horrific car accident in December 2022. In IPL 2024, he scored 446 runs from 13 matches, including three fifties. Axar, on the other hand, scored 235 runs and took 11 wickets. Kuldeep, too, enjoyed an excellent season with the ball, taking 16 wickets from 11 matches.

Australian legend Ricky Ponting stepped down as DC head coach in July, after spending seven years with the franchise. The IPL 2020 finalists are in search of a new head coach and former India batter Hemang Badani is being considered for the role. Munaf Patel could be named as the team’s bowling coach.

The deadline for all 10 franchises to finalise their player retentions ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction is 31 October. In September, the BCCI announced the retention rules ahead of the auction. Franchises can retain up to a maximum of six players, and this can be done through either the traditional retention method or by using the Right to Match (RTM) card. A maximum of five capped players (India or overseas) can be retained by a franchise and a maximum of two uncapped players.

Each team gets at auction purse of Rs 120 crore. Rs 18 crore, Rs 14 crore and Rs 11 crore are the retention slabs for the first three capped players who are retained. The other two capped players can be retained for Rs 18 crore and Rs 14 crore, whereas uncapped Indian players can be retained for Rs 4 crore.