IPL 2025: Heinrich Klaasen pips RCB’s Virat Kohli at ₹23 crore to become top retention

Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Heinrich Klaasen became the top retention in the IPL 2025 retention, eclipsing Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) Virat Kohli. The former skipper was retained for ₹21 crore - making him the highest among the Indians.    

Besides Kohli, Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) Nicolas Pooran was also retained at ₹21 crore. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians didn't have much of a choice save one slot where they could pick fresh blood. They have paid Jasprit Bumrah the top retention price of ₹18 crore while India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav ( ₹16.35 crore) and franchise skipper Hardik Pandya ( ₹16.35 crore) were paid equal retention price. 

Interestingly, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released skipper Shreyas Iyer. The India batter is rumoured to be Delhi Capitals no.1 captaincy target. 

Pat Cummins, who will continue to captain SRH, led the team to the playoffs in 2024 for the first time since 2020, under the guidance of head coach Daniel Vettori. Travis Head, who had a remarkable IPL season in 2024, amassed 567 runs at an impressive strike rate of 191.55, solidifying his position at the top of the order. 

Despite his underwhelming performance in the IPL final against Kolkata Knight Riders, Head's overall contributions, including a stellar hundred in the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final in 2023, justified his retention. His value at the 2024 IPL auction was INR 6.8 crore, and although his price has more than doubled, he would likely have attracted even higher bids had he entered the auction. 

Nitish Kumar Reddy, aged 21, has seen a substantial increase in his value from the INR 20 lakh he was initially bought for in 2023. Reddy earned the Emerging Player of the Year title in IPL 2024, scoring 303 runs at a strike rate of 143 and taking three wickets. Abhishek's impressive performance in T20 cricket in 2024, with a strike rate of 194.84 (the highest for any batter facing over 200 balls this year), earned him an India T20I call-up and a 115 per cent increase in value. 

He now earns more than double what SRH paid in the 2022 mega auction ( ₹6.5 crore). In IPL 2024, Abhishek had the highest strike rate among the top-ten run-getters. Klaasen, known for his powerful finishing, had the second-highest six count behind Abhishek. Klaasen accumulated 479 runs at a strike rate of 171.07, while Abhishek scored 484 runs at a strike rate of 204.21. 

Over two seasons with SRH, Klaasen has scored 927 runs at a strike rate of 174. "Our retained players bring extra sparkle to your Diwali! Wishing our #OrangeArmy, a bright and joyous celebration," SRH wrote on X while sharing a video. The Hyderabad-based franchise has retained Klaasen for a whopping amount of ₹23 crores. 

Skipper Cummins was roped in for an amount of ₹18 crores. Openers Abhishek and Travis were retained for ₹14 crores each. Meanwhile, Nitish Reddy was retained by SRH for Rs. 6 crores.