Ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) retention deadline on October 31, all teams are busy deciding their final list of retained and released players.

However, it is understood that most of the franchises are left confused and unable to shortlist the final names due to the decision taken by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

The IPL 2024 runners-up have decided to retain Proteas big-hitter Heinrich Klaasen for a staggering amount of INR 23 crore, making him the priority pick. Notably, the highest amount for retention is INR 18 crore, followed by INR 14 crore and INR 11 crore, which means the additional amount will be deducted from the total SRH limit in the IPL auction. 2025. Their next pick is Pat Cummins in the 18cr group and Abhishek Sharma for INR 14 crores.

This inflated retention amount has now led to greater uncertainty, as many players expect more value and do not fully commit to franchises while evaluating other options.

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Echoing the same line, a franchise executive aware of the developments told The Indian Express:

“Once it became clear that Klaasen would be hired for Rs 23 million, a lot of equations changed at the negotiating table. There is no obligation to follow the salary plan, so there has been a lot of back and forth. And Indian players are even checking their market value before committing to retaining them. There is a lot of demand and the players know it. They are consulting with other franchises if they will show interest. Even if two franchises show interest, they could end up receiving a higher offer than what their current team is offering.”

When it comes to top Indian stars like Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, it makes sense that they would prefer to participate in the auction as they bring brand value and will almost certainly get higher bids than what they are offered.

Pant is reportedly not the first choice for captain at Delhi Capitals, while Rahul and the Lucknow management have apparently been at loggerheads since the public fallout with franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka last season.

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