IPL 2025 All 10 Teams Confirmed Retained Indian Players List

35 Indians in contention in our confirmed best retained Indian players list for all 10 teams ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. 

Only a couple of months left as the excitement unfolds for the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League, the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. Mega auctions, unlike mini auctions, are always exciting as the focus is mostly on Indian players rather than overseas players. But before we get to the Auctions, the first thing that each team will have to do is finalize the players that they would like to retain.

As we know, each team will be given a choice of roughly 4-6 players including uncapped players as a part of the retention strategy. While the exact number is not disclosed by BCCI as yet, we can safely assume that not more than 4 Indian and not more than 3 Overseas players will be allowed to retain per team. This is still a good number as each team will definitely have those 2-4 Indian players that they would like to retain at any cost.

Now, the BCCI retention rules for IPL 2025 will mostly be out by September, end, so we for sure can’t say how many players BCCI will allow this from a retention perspective. But assuming the best-case scenario where teams are allowed to retain a maximum of four Indian players, which players look the best in contention for all 10 teams? Well, let’s look at the confirmed retained players list that will be the target of all 10 teams for IPL 2025. 

IPL 2025 Retained Indian Players Target List Explained

Chennai Super Kings

1. Ruturaj Gaikwad
2. Ravindra Jadeja
3. MS Dhoni
4. Shivam Dube

Starting the list with Chennai Super Kings, as usual, the team has four solid Indian players who will be in contention from a retention perspective. Ruturaj Gaikwad will be the first-choice Indian player who will be in contention for CSK. Following Ruturaj, CSK will look at Ravindra Jadeja, who has been their go-to all-rounder. Post that, CSK will mostly add MS Dhoni under the uncapped player category, and Shivam Dube as the fourth-choice Indian player.  

Delhi Capitals

1. Rishabh Pant
2. Axar Patel
3. Kuldeep Yadav

Talking about Delhi Capitals, they have three Indian players who look the best from a retention perspective. Starting with Rishabh Pant, who will be retained as their first-choice Indian player. After Rishabh Pant, Delhi Capitals will look at Axar Patel, who is a brilliant value add as an all-rounder to Delhi Capitals. Finally, for the third player, Delhi Capitals will mostly select Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep is India’s best spinner currently, and Delhi Capitals will always keep him in mind from a retention perspective.

Gujarat Titans

1. Shubman Gill
2. Mohammed Shami
3. Sai Sudharsan

Moving on to Gujarat Titans, the team also has three solid Indian players that they would like to retain. Captain Shubman Gill will be the first-choice retained player for Gujarat Titans. Apart from Shubman Gill, Gujarat will add Mohammed Shami as their second-best Indian player. Shami didn’t play IPL 2024, but his experience is invaluable. Following Shami shall be Sai Sudharsan, who looks to be one the best young talents in the country. Given his solid temperament, he will be on GT’s hit list for IPL 2025.  

Kolkata Knight Riders

1. Shreyas Iyer
2.  Rinku Singh
3. Harshit Rana
4. Venkatesh Iyer

Talking about Kolkata Knight Riders, they too have four solid Indian players who will be under the radar of the management from a retention perspective. Starting with Captain Shreyas Iyer, who will be their first-choice retention, KKR will look at Rinku Singh as their second-best Indian player. Third on the list will mostly be Harshit Rana, who looks like a potent pacer with a great future. Whereas fourth on the list should be Venkatesh Iyer, who has been an unsung warrior in the IPL over the years. 

Lucknow Super Giants

1. KL Rahul
2. Mayank Yadav
3. Ravi Bishnoi

Talking about Lucknow Super Giants, they have a good mix of Indian and Overseas players. Hence, with the Overseas players already in demand, LSG will look to retain three Indian players. The start will be their Captain and leader, KL Rahul, who looks all set to get retained after his meeting with the LSG owner, Sanjiv Goenka. Following KL should be the emerging pace sensation, Mayank Yadav. Whereas for the third spot, LSG will look at Ravi Bishnoi, who is also India’s preferred wrist spinner at the moment. 

Mumbai Indians

1. Hardik Pandya
2. Suryakumar Yadav
3. Jasprit Bumrah
4. Ishan Kishan

Talking about Mumbai Indians, their biggest challenge will be whether they convince Rohit Sharma to stay with the Mumbai Indians camp. As we know, MI already have Hardik Pandya as their leader for the coming years, and Rohit, who is still the Indian team captain in two formats may not be too happy to play under Hardik Pandya. So, it looks all set for Rohit to make a move outside MI. Other than Rohit, MI have four solid Indian players that they would like to retain, and those are Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ishan Kishan. The only challenge is at what prices will MI be able to retain them. 

Punjab Kings

1. Arshdeep Singh
2. Shashank Singh
3. Harshal Patel
4. Ashutosh Sharma

Talking about Punjab Kings, they do have options among Indian players, but those are not-so-good options. With Shikhar Dhawan not confirmed to play in IPL 2025, Arshdeep Singh remains their best Indian player from a retention perspective. Following Arshdeep, Punjab Kings will mostly look at two uncapped players, Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma. Both were impressive for PBKS in IPL 2024, and they would like to retain them if possible, Finally, PBKS can also think of retaining Harshal Patel, who is still one of the most deceiving pacers in the IPL currently.  

Rajasthan Royals

1. Sanju Samson
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal
3. Riyan Parag
4. Yuzvendra Chahal

Taking about Rajasthan Royals, the team has solid Indian players who will be in contention from a retention perspective. The first on the list shall be Sanju Samson, who is their Captain and leader. Second on the list will be India’s quality youngster, Yashasvi Jaiswal. Third on the list shall be Riyan Parag, who is slowly living up to the talent he has. Whereas fourth on the list shall be Yuzvnendra Chahal, who is an IPL legend, and has done really well for Rajasthan Royals. 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

1. Virat Kohli
2. Mohammed Siraj
3. Rajat Patidar

Moving on to IPL’s most favourite team, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, they have three solid Indian players who will be under the hit list of RCB’s management. Starting with India’s most followed Indian player, Virat Kohli, RCB will then look at Mohammed Siraj as the second-choice Indian player from a retention perspective. Whereas for the third name, RCB will mostly look at Rajat Patidar, who has time and again proven that he has it in him to succeed in the IPL. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad

1. Abhishek Sharma
2. Nitish Reddy
3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Finally, talking about Sunrisers Hyderabad, they are one team that will want more Overseas players than Indian players when it comes to retention. If given the freedom, SRH will retain three Indian and three Overseas players. Among the Indian players, Abhishek Sharma should be their first-choice retention. Abhishek has already made a name for himself with a stunning performance in IPL 2024. Following Abhishek should be Nitish Reddy, who is a solid emerging pace all-rounder. For the third name, SRH will mostly go after the tried and tested Bhuvneshwar Kumar.  

So, that’s about the confirmed target retained Indian players list for all 10 teams for IPL 2025. Overall, each team will definitely want at least three Indian players to be retained. Anything more than three will be a cherry on top. But if we observe the teams, the biggest discussion point will be on Rohit Sharma’s retention from MI, and MS Dhoni’s retention as an uncapped player.  

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