IPL Retention 2025: What did SRK and Kavya Maran Request to BCCI for upcoming mega auction?

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As the cricketing world eagerly anticipates the IPL 2025 auction, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled new retention rules that have set the stage for fierce competition among franchises.

Central to this development were the requests made by two influential figures in the IPL: Shah Rukh Khan, the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Kavya Maran of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Their proposals reflect the underlying tension between the desire to retain star players and the need to maintain a balanced and competitive league. Shah Rukh Khan, has been a vocal advocate for the retention of eight players from his roster, reported Cricbuzz.

However, the BCCI's new guidelines have limited this number to six, with the potential for the team to exercise the Right To Match (RTM) option. SRK is understandably keen on retaining standout players such as Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. The Bollywood icon seeks to keep his key players intact while striving to defend their championship title.

On the other hand, Kavya Maran, after finally building a capable squad that reached IPL Final last season, made a significant push for the removal of the cap on retaining foreign and domestic players. Her advocacy has borne fruit, as the BCCI has agreed to eliminate these restrictions. This newfound freedom allows Maran to retain star overseas players like Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, and Aiden Markram.

However, the BCCI has ensured that retaining players will come at a premium. Unlike previous seasons where retention prices followed a descending scale, this year's policy dictates that players ranked four and five will cost the same as the top two players, with price tags set at INR 18 crore and INR 14 crore, respectively.

With INR 75 crore designated for five capped players and INR 4 crore for one uncapped player, franchises will quickly realise the budget constraints they face. With a total purse of INR 120 crore, retaining just six players would consume a staggering INR 79 crore, leaving only INR 41 crore to fill the rest of the squad.