3 IPL teams that would want to use all 5 retentions in 2025 ft. Mumbai Indians

The IPL Governing Council made some major decisions concerning IPL 2025 on Saturday, September 28. Each team can retain six players via a combination of retention and Right to Match option including both Indian and overseas players.

There are a few teams which will want the core of their team to remain the same as IPL 2024 and would want to retain five players.

On that note, here is a look at three teams that would want to use all five retentions in 2025:

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#1 Mumbai Indians (MI)

MI is one of IPL's most successful franchises. The five-time IPL champions could be keen to use all five retentions in IPL 2025.

Hardik Pandya, who captained the team in IPL 2024, is the first obvious candidate for retention. Pandya was an integral part of the MI team till 2022 and after that, he tasted success with the Gujarat Titans (GT) for a couple of years before moving back to MI in 2024. Though Pandya had an underwhelming IPL 2024 campaign, his all-round skills and ability to lead the team will be important for the MI team management.

Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian skipper in the shortest format, is the number two-ranked batter as per the ICC T20I rankings. He can change the course of a T20 match in an over and is one of the most feared batters in the world. A strike rate of 168.65 in T20Is and 145.33 in IPL make him a dangerous batter and MI will not release him under any circumstances.

Jasprit Bumrah is lethal with his yorkers in the shortest format. He has an economy rate of just 7.3 in 133 IPL matches and is a match-winner with the ball. The pacer is the go-to man for the skipper whenever a wicket is needed, and MI would pay any sum of money to retain their star pacer.

Ishan Kishan has been an integral part of the MI team since 2018. His aggressive batting at the top of the order has single-handedly won many games for his franchise. Apart from his batting skills, Kishan is a safe option behind the wickets and a perfect keeper-batter to have in the shortest format. Kishan has grown with the MI franchise and knows exactly what it means to represent the Mumbai Indians.

Rohit Sharma has won five IPL titles as MI captain. He recently led India to triumph in the T20 World Cup 2024. Sharma is one of the most feared openers in the shortest format. Although he played under the captaincy of Pandya in IPL 2024, it remains to be seen if he continues to play for MI this season. If Sharma decides to part ways with MI, the franchise could look to retain the talented Tilak Varma instead, who has grown in stature over the past two IPL seasons. Varma averages a healthy 39.86 and has a strike rate of 146.33 in 38 IPL innings across three seasons.

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#2 Rajasthan Royals (RR)

The trio of Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sanju Samson has been an integral part of the RR top order. The RR team management will not want to disturb their top three batters in their batting line-up. Buttler won the orange cap in 2022 and has been one of the most consistent run-getters for the team for the last three seasons.

Jaiswal scored 625 runs in IPL 2023 and followed it up with 435 runs in IPL 2024 at strike rates of 163.61 and 155.91, respectively. His aggressive batting at the top of the order and ability to score big runs and play fearlessly against the best bowlers in the world make him an ideal opening partner with Buttler in the shortest format.

Samson scored 531 runs for RR in IPL 2024. He has been the team's skipper since 2021 and guided his team to the final of IPL 2022. Along with his captaincy and batting, Samson's wicketkeeping skills also make him a prime candidate for retention.

Riyan Parag had the faith and confidence of the RR team management despite having five ordinary seasons from 2019 to 2023. The batter finally delivered on his promise in IPL 2024, scoring 573 runs from 14 innings at an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.22. He was an integral part of the RR middle order and is now a part of the Indian T20I team. The team management will want to retain Parag for IPL 2025.

Yuzvendra Chahal holds the record for most IPL wickets (205). He has been a consistent performer in the IPL and will be on the wishlist of many franchises. Chahal has picked up 27, 22, and 18 wickets in IPL 2022, IPL 2023, and IPL 2024, respectively, and won the Purple Cap in IPL 2022.

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#3 Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

The runners-up of IPL 2024 were incredibly impressive last season. The positive approach of the SRH batters was the season's highlight.

The openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were the reasons why the franchise managed to reach the finals of the IPL 2024. Their aggressive batting in the power-play overs redefined the role of the openers in the shortest format and the duo made a formidable opening pair. In 15 innings in IPL 2024, Head had an astounding strike rate of 191.55 including one century and four half-centuries. Sharma on the other hand had a strike rate of 200.22 in IPL 2024 and scored 484 runs in 16 innings. SRH would retain the opening duo for IPL 2025.

Pat Cummins picked up 18 wickets in IPL 2024. Apart from his bowling skills, his role as a leader is worth mentioning. He put his confidence in youngsters like Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Reddy and brought out the best from them.

Cummins was the captain of the Australia team that won the World Cup 2023 in India and when the Aussies won the last cycle of the World Test championship. SRH will certainly want to retain their captain ahead of IPL 2025.

South African batter Heinrich Klaasen is, perhaps, the best finisher in the shortest format at the moment. He is a dangerous batter in the death overs and a nightmare for opposition bowlers. The last two IPL seasons have been breakthrough seasons for the South African keeper-batter. He had a strike rate of 177.08 in IPL 2023 and 171.07 in IPL 2024. Klaasen should feature on SRH's retention list for IPL 2025.

Nitish Reddy played two matches in IPL 2023 but did not make much of an impact. IPL 2024 witnessed the rise and growth of Reddy. In 11 innings with the bat, Reddy scored 303 runs at a strike rate of 142.92 and displayed great maturity with the bat. He also picked up three wickets with the ball. Though Reddy is still a work in progress, SRH will want to retain the youngster as he is likely to the player of the future and has the makings of a star all-rounder.

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