IPL 2025 Auction: Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu Call for Bigger Player Retention to Bolster Team Stability

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As the BCCI continues to mull over the retention and rules ahead of the IPL 2025 Auction, former IPL titans Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu have voiced their opinions on player retention - a key aspect of team building in the premier T20 league.

Both Rayudu and Raina, who have played for five-time champions Chennai Super Kings, believe that teams should be allowed to retain a larger number of players ahead of the 2025 auction, stressing the importance of maintaining a strong core for consistent success in the world's grandest T20 league.

In the last mega auction held in 2022, IPL franchises were permitted to retain up to four players. However, with the three-year cycle coming to an end, discussions around the number of allowed retentions are heating up once again.

While some franchises are in favour of increasing the retention limit to as many as eight players, others are satisfied with the current allowance of four or five. The IPL governing council is yet to make a final decision on the matter, leaving room for debate.

Rayudu, who is set to represent Konark Suryas Odisha in the upcoming Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2024, is a staunch advocate for expanding retentions. "Personally, I feel retentions have to be a lot more because a franchise invests a lot in a player," Rayudu stated.

"The core of the team is what makes every team unique in the IPL. So for me, the longer the core remains, the culture of the team remains. There is a greater chance of success. There needs to be a lot of retentions. It can't be one or two. All the important players should be retained."

Raina, a former Chennai Super Kings star and Rayudu's teammate during their successful stint with the franchise, fully agrees with his colleague. "I 100 per cent agree with Rayudu. The mega auction should be every three years. The IPL governing council will do what is best for the game," Raina remarked, highlighting his trust in the league's decision-makers to ensure the sport's continued growth.

The BCCI, reportedly, is having discussions with all the IPL franchises to frame rules for the next edition's auction but all owners are not on the same page on retentions.